Wyoming residents in Park County near Cody may be experiencing smoke pollution from the Fishhawk Fire in the Shoshone National Forest west of the town, as well as the Stink Water Fire northeast of the Fishhawk.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeing some smoke pollution impacts from its air quality monitor in Cody. Satellite imagery shows smoke travelling east and the WDEQ’s air quality camera in Sheridan shows the plume over the mountains.
Members of the public have access to the Cody monitor on the DEQ’s website. There, everyone can access near real-time air quality data for all Wyoming’s monitoring stations, as well as information about possible health effects.
“WYVISNET allows all Wyoming residents to stay informed about their air quality conditions through live images and near real-time data from monitoring stations throughout the state,” said Nancy Vehr, Air Quality Division Administrator.
Additionally, current wildfire information is available by visiting the Incident Information website.
Wildfire smoke is made up of a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone, which can cause respiratory health effects, especially to children, the elderly and people with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma. People in these sensitive groups should limit outdoor activities when there are nearby wildfires. For information regarding health concerns from wildfire smoke, please visit these United States Environmental Protection Agency Links:
Vehr would like to remind the public, if they have any health-related questions or concerns regarding wildfire smoke, to speak to their medical professional or the Wyoming Department of Health at 307-777-5825.