School Fire Smoke Had No Impact on P.G. Air Quality
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 @ 9:51 AM
Thick black smoke spread over the neighbourhood south east of Highglen School during yesterday’s fire – photo250News
Prince George, B.C. – The City of Prince George dodged an air quality issue yesterday when a column of thick black smoke rose from the fire at the Highglen Montessori School.
“I think the northwest breeze helped disperse the smoke pretty well” says Ministry of Environment Meteorologist Dennis Fudge. Although people in the immediate neighbourhood would have been able to smell the smoke in its heaviest concentration, data from the air quality monitors in the City did not show any spike in concentration of fine particulates, or other compounds measured by the equipment. He says it is difficult to say if there was any increase in values of VOC’s ( volatile organic compounds) “We monitor VOC’s once every six days and it’s a 24 hour value. That data is sent to the federal Government who analyzes it.” But Fudge says there can be a significant lag time between when that data is sent and when the analysis returns, so it is not likely such information would be available anytime soon.
Of course, Fudge says that’s not to say there weren’t any serious components in the smoke that billowed from the school “Anytime you have a structure fire, there are all kinds of compounds that will be released into the air.”
There are no reports of anyone arriving at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. with breathing issues.
Meantime, School District 57 staff are working this morning to try and find classrooms for the 250 students and 25 staff who have been displaced by the fire. The School District hopes to have some information available by noon today.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Comments
“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.”
After 10 years, did they ever determine the cause of fire in the Bank across 15/HW97? Too many fires.
“School Fire Smoke Had No Impact on P.G. Air Quality”
So until it all blew away into someone elses space it was ok to breath?
I guess it didn’t have any impact on air quality wherever it blew away to either?
Univ… you refering to the Yellowhead Inn fire …where Mcdonalds … BMO ..starbucks etc.. is currently located
it started in the nightclub there
If memory serves me correctly it was in the air conditioning / heating unit on the roof.
The fire there started in the air conditioner for the bank. Exactly WHAT IN the air conditioner that caught fire is not known
The nearest monitor (Plaza 400) which takes a spectrum of readings is 3.5km away from Highglen. There is one at Lakewood which it ¾ km away. However, it only monitors hydrogen sulphide.
The smoke in the picture is billowing quite low and looks like it would have affected building occupants in its path. I would also thin that there would have been soot which may have precipitated in the path.
Like a neighbor burning garbage in the back yard during a windy day, if the smoke billows low rather than rising straight up during an excellent venting day, you will be affected on your deck where you are having lunch with guests. In fact, you could be choking and have to move.
So, did it affect the air quality at Plaza 400? Highly unlikely. This was not a 30 acre forest fire along the Cranbrook Hill escarpment.
Did it affect people in the path of the low billowing smoke that is in the picture? Looks like it to me. But, I have not spoken to anyone there. The picture may give a false impression.
It is too bad that Dennis Fudge did not take the opportunity to explain this in a bit more detail. Events such as this are the ideal time to do that. In my opinion, most people are still not applying their relatively common personal experience they have had with sitting around a smoky campfire or even a smoky barbeque which forced them to move to another spot so that they could breathe properly.
I do not recall where the origin of the Yellowhead Inn fire was. However, I do recall that the reason why it spread as it did rather than being contained in one of many fire separated compartments which were supposed to be in place did not function as designed.
I believe it was a maintenance issue rather than initial design/build issues.
I think it is a good example of the Swiss Cheese Theory of accident causation.
I find it hard to believe that smoke had no effect on air quality when one cigarette does. We are all followers of stupidity. If they told us to go out and crow like a rooster in the morning, we probably would!
Do some of you even read beyond the headline? It states quite clearly that “data from the air quality monitors in the City did not show any spike in concentration of fine particulates”. It also admits that “thatâs not to say there werenât any serious components in the smoke that billowed from the school” So what they are telling us is that the monitors did not pick it up. Thats all.
No where does it say you could stand there beside it and inhale the smoke, nor does it compare to it a cigarette. Good grief.
TA. very informative…
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