The City and Borough of Juneau issued an air quality emergency Saturday evening due to high levels of wood smoke particulates in the Mendenhall Valley.
All wood stove and fireplace burning in the valley is prohibited until further notice. Pellet stoves are still permitted.
CBJ officials say particulate levels have exceeded air quality standards, which can make it difficult to breathe, particularly for people with respiratory conditions.
“When inhaled, fine particulates from woodsmoke can lodge themselves deep into the lungs and bloodstream and significantly impact children, elders, and those with breathing difficulties,” the CBJ issuance said.
The poor air quality is caused by an air inversion, a weather condition in which warm air sits above colder air, trapping pollutants at lower elevations. Inversions tend to occur in valleys during periods of low wind.
CBJ Lands & Resources Manager, Dan Bleidorn said the inversion is predicted to remain over night and most of the day Sunday.
Using the Juneau International Airport as a reference point, the affected area extends north to the Mendenhall Glacier, west to Montana Creek, and south along the east shore of Auke Lake. It also includes the east half of the Mendenhall Peninsula.
CBJ says staff will continue monitoring particulate levels overnight and will lift the emergency once air quality returns to healthy levels.
Residents can track updates on the CBJ air emergency page, sign up for air quality text notifications, and look out for neon yellow signs posted throughout the valley while the burn ban is in effect.
