smoke

I have an answer now, thanks to my boss:

Planned forestry fire in Jasper smokes out surprised Atlantans

By Stacy Shelton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/01/07
An all-day controlled burn on federal land in Jasper County southeast of Atlanta created a hovering cloud of smoke through a large swath of the east metro region on Wednesday. The U.S. Forestry Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the burn on about 3,000 acres to prevent a wildfire and make room for regrowth.

The federal agencies do the burns occasionally —- about once every two years —- to enhance the habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker, a member of the federal endangered species list.

In downtown Atlanta, about 60 miles from the burning forest, workers heading to the Five Points MARTA Station about 6:15 p.m. walked with their hands clasped over their nose, some coughing as they looked up at the sky and wondered where the fire was.

In Decatur, Frida Ghitis immediately went inside when the air started smelling funny around 4 p.m.

"It suddenly started to look very cloudy, almost like an early morning fog," said Ghitis, 46. "To me it smells almost like burning plastic. It was unpleasant enough that I had to go back inside."

Ghitis called the Decatur police department. She was advised to stay inside.

Alan Dozier, chief of forest protection for the Georgia Forestry Commission, said the problem was compounded by about 150 wildfires across the state, including 20 near the federally controlled fire in the vicinity of Monticello. Many of the fires were probably started by people trying to burn their yard waste.

Dozier said the conditions were perfect for the prescribed burn, especially with rain forecast for Thursday. But a strong easterly wind caught the smoke and blew it through McDonough, Lilburn, Decatur and downtown Atlanta.

By the afternoon, people started calling friends, police and fire departments, city halls and state offices to find where the blackish haze and smell was coming from.