GREAT BARRINGTON -- For most county residents, the closest they'll come to the Butternut Fire is smoke. How much residents will see, and more importantly, breathe, depends on factors beyond anyone's control, such as wind and atmospheric conditions.
As of Wednesday afternoon, that included central Berkshire County, where smoke from the wildfire could be both smelled and seen.
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As of Wednesday afternoon, the air quality was rated as "fair" in Great Barrington and not a threat to most people's health, said Dr. Alec Belman, the chief of staff at Fairview Hospital. Those risks were greatest for people with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma.
"If people take common sense precautions they shouldn't run into any trouble," Belman said. Those include avoiding smoke, exertion and remaining indoors.
The town of Great Barrington reinforced that message, sending out an alert to residents that those who have respiratory illnesses may be impacted. "Stay indoors and keep the windows closed," the message said.
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Purpleair.com showed Pittsfield spiking at a 10-minute air quality index of nearly 400 around 4 p.m., then decreasing. Anything above 300 is considered hazardous and likely to affect everyone.
At the same time, Great Barrington was at an AQI of 141, at which people in sensitive groups may experience health effects.
"At this moment I don't think we're seeing anymore than usual," Belman said regarding patient levels at Fairview Hospital.
Wednesday, Etienne Brou, a postal worker from Pittsfield, noted discomfort while on his mail delivery route in Great Barrington due to smoke exposure.
Brou mentioned receiving masks from "two nice people" but expressed eagerness to finish his shift quickly: "I'm trying to get out of here as quickly as possible," he said.
As efforts continued to contain the wildfire, Belman stated that Fairview Hospital remained in constant contact with the fire command center:
"We've essentially determined there's no reason to increase staffing or levels of readiness for what's going on," he explained. However if concerns about exposure arise we would mobilize increased staffing."