Smoke gets in our eyes - and lungs, too - as fire grows

The Box Canyon fire grew yesterday to about 5,800 acres, although winds pushed the bulk of the activity to the far side of Tanque Verde Ridge.

Firefighting crews are continuing to monitor the 6-day-old blaze, fire information officer Mary Ann Bufano said.

Saguaro National Park officials have no plans to stop the blaze as long as it continues to follow the path of a scheduled prescribed burn. The fire may grow to 18,000 acres, Bufano said.

The fire may be doing wonders for the Rincon Mountains, but some area residents say the fire is wreaking havoc on their health.

Fire information officer Tom Danton said park officials are fielding a couple of phone calls a day from residents concerned about the smoke cloud hanging over their homes. According to callers, smoke from the fire gets in their eyes, their noses and, perhaps most troubling, their lungs.

``They want us to be aware a fire like this makes some people uncomfortable, if not downright unhealthy,'' Danton said. ``We feel sorry about it, but there's not a lot we can do. The fire is taking its natural course.''

And where there's fire, there's smoke. Danton said occasionally murky air may be the price people pay for living at the base of a mountain.

``When you live in a deep valley surrounded by mountains, you're going to have fires. You're going to have them every year. You're going to have smoke,'' Danton said.

Danton said none of the callers has needed treatment for smoke inhalation.

Symptoms of smoke inhalation include watery eyes and an itchy throat, said Jennifer Jones, director of lung health programs for the Tucson American Lung Association.

``If I had those symptoms, I'd be concerned,'' said Jones. ``For somebody with chronic respiratory problems, it could trigger an acute episode.''

Jones said children and senior citizens should avoid spending time in areas saturated with smoke. Although nobody knows yet exactly how much smoke is in the air around the fire, Jones said the Department of Environmental Quality may soon begin measuring particulates there.

As of yesterday, Danton said, only one report of health problems could be traced directly to the fire: A firefighter was diagnosed with heat exhaustion.

``She's doing fine, but she won't be back on the mountain,'' Danton said.