An ALERTChatham / CodeRed notification for smoke in the southeast corner of Fearrington Village was just sent (September 15, 2019) from the Chatham County EOC. Agencies are coordinating the fire management, but it may continue to burn. Here are facts around this:
1. The mulch fire is contained (NOT spreading) but will likely not be extinguished for some time.
2. This type of fire is not easily or quickly extinguished. There is a lot of “fuel” for a fire in a mulch pile.
3. The smell of smoke tends to worsen at night as the atmosphere cools and the smoke sinks. It doesn’t mean it’s getting worse, it is likely the same amount of smoke just closer to the ground.
4. Elevated levels of smoke can impair breathing and aggravate symptoms in people with respiratory problems and irritate the lungs in healthy individuals. This is a LOW-LEVEL smoke incident, but still may cause irritation for residents. If affected, they should limit prolonged outdoor activities while these conditions remain.
5. If someone is having symptoms suggesting lung or heart problems, they should consult their health care provider as soon as possible.
6. Residents should consider running your central air conditioning system in your home … and if equipped, set it to re-circulate or close outdoor air intakes to avoid drawing in smoky outdoor air.
7. Fitch Creations (Fearrington HOA) is posting updates to their website at fearringtonfha.org .