Mayor Mitch Landrieu declared a state of emergency on Aug. 30 because of a marsh fire burning in New Orleans. It started after a lightning storm on the evening of Aug. 24. Smoke has caused air quality problems.
On a request from the city, the Louisiana National Guard deployed four helicopters equipped with 500-gallon “bambi buckets,” to drop water on the primary marsh fire and a nearby secondary fire. They added five more helicopters to the effort on Aug. 31.
“We are going to continue to lean forward and do what is effective to protect the health and well-being of our residents,” said Mayor Landrieu in an email sent to the Epoch Times.
The primary marsh fire is approximately 1,500 to 2,000 yards north of Chef Menteur Highway and west of Bayou Sauvage. The fire is feeding on chinaberry trees, willow trees, and peat moss.
According to the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD), the primary fire can be considered 100 percent contained since the area is surrounded by water.
Landrieu and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry officials estimated 65 percent; approximately 1,015 acres of the marsh were burned. They are using GIS technology and flying over the site to measure.
The secondary fire was east of the primary fire. It involved 24 acres of marshland. The cause is still being investigated.
The fires are in isolated areas so they pose little or no threat to people or property.
According to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office of New Orleans (NOAA) in a press release, southeast winds today will cause the smoke to impact areas from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain.
Due to the continuous burning of the marsh fire in the Bayou Sauvage area of eastern New Orleans, particulate matter levels in southeast Louisiana could fluctuate between yellow on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and an unhealthy red on the AQI. An AQI alert advisory on Aug. 31 in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area showed particulate matter to be at levels unhealthy for sensitive groups including children and the elderly. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) warned people to stay indoors in air conditioning if possible.
On a request from the city, the Louisiana National Guard deployed four helicopters equipped with 500-gallon “bambi buckets,” to drop water on the primary marsh fire and a nearby secondary fire. They added five more helicopters to the effort on Aug. 31.
“We are going to continue to lean forward and do what is effective to protect the health and well-being of our residents,” said Mayor Landrieu in an email sent to the Epoch Times.
The primary marsh fire is approximately 1,500 to 2,000 yards north of Chef Menteur Highway and west of Bayou Sauvage. The fire is feeding on chinaberry trees, willow trees, and peat moss.
According to the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD), the primary fire can be considered 100 percent contained since the area is surrounded by water.
Landrieu and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry officials estimated 65 percent; approximately 1,015 acres of the marsh were burned. They are using GIS technology and flying over the site to measure.
The secondary fire was east of the primary fire. It involved 24 acres of marshland. The cause is still being investigated.
The fires are in isolated areas so they pose little or no threat to people or property.
According to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office of New Orleans (NOAA) in a press release, southeast winds today will cause the smoke to impact areas from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain.
Due to the continuous burning of the marsh fire in the Bayou Sauvage area of eastern New Orleans, particulate matter levels in southeast Louisiana could fluctuate between yellow on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and an unhealthy red on the AQI. An AQI alert advisory on Aug. 31 in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area showed particulate matter to be at levels unhealthy for sensitive groups including children and the elderly. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) warned people to stay indoors in air conditioning if possible.
