The wildland-urban interface is defined as a place where human development is close to parts of the state more susceptible to wildfire- like open space and vegetation. The same study from CSFS found around 4.5 million acres of Colorado are considered to be within the wildland-urban interface, which also accounts for about 1 million buildings.
...Recent research from de Gouw has focused on the impact of the Marshall Fire on the indoor air quality of homes that did not burn, but were close to the blaze.
“People were wondering, is it safe to return? When? What am I exposed to? And also, how can I clean up my home?” de Gouw said. “Even scientists didn't think about this issue before the Marshall Fire.”
He said the pollutants appeared to last at higher levels than normal inside the homes for around five to six weeks, which was longer than expected.
“What our research showed is that the air quality effects actually linger after the fire is out," de Gouw said. “Your home sort of acts like a sponge, it soaks up the smoke. And then after the fire is out, it slowly releases that smoke again and it can still expose you to some levels of of smoke compounds.”...more
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