Today’s prescribed burn at San Juan National Forest near Dolores on Oct. 17, 2023. Photo courtesy of San Juan National Forest
Today’s prescribed burn at San Juan National Forest near Dolores on Oct. 17, 2023. Photo courtesy of San Juan National Forest

Mike De Fries, San Juan National Forest’s Public Information Officer, announced that yesterday’s prescribed burn’s ignitions in the Boggy Draw area, five miles northeast of Dolores, led to a significant amount of burning activity, which brought a high concentration of today’s smoke to the valley.

Last night’s winds changed direction from the east and pushed the smoke to the south, affecting Dolores, Mancos, Cortez and low-lying areas like the Dolores River Valley.

“The wind should pick up today to carry a lot of this out,” De Fries said after looking up the wind forecast.

He said smoke dispersal should be better in the afternoon.

Yesterday’s ignitions were brought on by hand and aerial techniques – plastic ignition spheres that were dropped from a helicopter.

The operations team successfully completed the ignitions yesterday so no more ignitions are required today. That being said, interior pockets of fuel are expected to burn as the prescribed fire continues to consume dead and down logs, ground fuels and stumps.

Crews will patrol the area, possibly throughout the weekend, so the fire stays within its boundaries. Because of the continuous burn of fuel, smoke is expected over the next few days but at a much lower output than currently.

“The point of this prescribed burn is to reduce fuels, which can decrease the chances of a catastrophic fire that essentially would wipe out large trees and canopies,” De Fries said.

Tips for your health during smoky conditions

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, following are options people can take to ensure maximum health during prescribed burns:Limit outdoor activity during heavy smokeSmoke can be worse at night. Take extra precautions if you need to go out, and close the windows when you are indoors. Check the air quality before going outdoors. Reduce smoke in your vehicle. Close the windows and vents. Run your car’s air conditioner in recirculate mode to reduce air intake from outside. Stay indoors if the air quality is bad. Close windows and doors. This is especially important for children and other higher risk groups. Monitor prescribed burns in Colorado. Consider temporarily locating to another area if it is safe to do so. Seek out locations where air is filtered such as malls, movie theaters or recreation centers.