Haze and smoke from Mono County fire moves into Carson City region
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 09/19/2016 - 1:10pm
UPDATE TUESDAY: Carson City's air quality is in the "moderate" category due to smoke from the Owens River Fire that is burning in Mono County north of Mammoth Lakes.
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Carson City is experiencing hazy skies due to smoke from the Owens River Fire burning east of Highway 395, seven miles north of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County.
As of early Monday afternoon, air quality in Carson City was in the "good" range but further south it has been listed as "moderate." It is likely to change as the wind becomes stronger with an approaching cold front. In the map above by Airnow.gov, the area in yellow is moderate, which means air quality is acceptable, however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Go here for the air quality forecast.
Winds are moving from the southwest into the region with gusts to 25 mph, bringing smoke to the Lake Tahoe Basin as well.
The smoke from the fire will likely continue as the cold front moves into the region beginning Tuesday. Ahead will be gusty winds, which has prompted a Red Flag Warning for Carson City and the Sierra Front region on Tuesday.
As of Monday afternoon the fire has burned 6,000 acres and is 20 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Crews on Sunday night focused on the active western flank and worked on containing several spot fires caused by the afternoon winds.
Smoke is visible from locations throughout the Highway 395 corridor including Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and Lee Vining. The haze is expected to settle in the valleys at night under the cool inversion layer and then blow in a southwesterly direction as the front approaches.
The fire is burning along Owens River Road near Clark Canyon, east of Highway 395 in sagebrush and Jeffrey pine, and annual grasses.
The Big Springs Campground, Clark Canyon (a popular climbing area), and nearby ranches and developments have been evacuated. The Owens River Road and the Whitmore Springs Roads are closed and visitors are advised to avoid the Bald Mountain Road as well. For your and fire crew safety, please avoid the fire area.
There are 9 hand crews, 48 engines, 3 air tankers, 7 helicopters, 3 dozers, and 6 water tenders assigned to the fire. There are 483 people assigned to the incident.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but appears to be human-caused.
