Editor's Note: At least seven people were killed in the 158-vehicle crash blamed on swamp smoke mixing with fog.
Tristan Baurick and Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
(TNS)
Oct. 23—Acrid smoke from stubborn swamp fires burning south and east of New Orleans combined Monday with dense fog to create the "super fog" that contributed to one of the deadliest highway pileups in memory.
Residents should expect the dangerous smoke-fog conditions to persist through at least Tuesday. While increased winds will help disperse the fog through the rest of the week, there's very little chance of rain, officials said.
There's also a stubborn dome of high pressure sitting over southern Louisiana keeping in place elements that create seasonal fog, meteorologists said.
It's "a pretty normal setup for this time of year," Ben Schott, director of the National Weather Service's Slidell office, said Monday. The conditions include clear skies, light winds, and overnight temperatures dropping to the dew point.
Battling blazes
The other main ingredient causing the superfog — fires near Jean Lafitte and Bayou Sauvage — continued to burn Monday. The smoke from both blazes was drifting toward the northwest, where the interstate pileup took place, according to the weather service.
Officials with Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve said the fire, which is in the park's Barataria Preserve, was about 52% contained. Fire crews from seven states, four federal agencies and Jefferson Parish were working to put it out.
New Orleans firefighters, meanwhile, were trying to extinguish the swamp fire in the east by flooding it with water from a nearby drainage canal, with the assistance of the Sewerage & Water Board. The fire, which has been burning for nine days, is on private land between the Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge and the Michoud Canal.
As a result, several schools in New Orleans announced they would close or start late on Tuesday.
Schott, of the weather service, said that while fog is a common hazard for area drivers in the fall, it's the smoke that makes conditions especially dangerous.
"Smoke naturally diminishes visibility, and in combination with particles from the fires it can enhance the already foggy conditions by creating even more droplets of water in the air to make visibility worse," Schott said.
Weather dependent
The S& WB began flooding the swamp near Bayou Sauvage on Thursday evening, but the fire showed little sign of letting up over the weekend. Pumping, which is taking place near Industrial Parkway, is expected to conclude Tuesday.
"The fire can't spread any more, but it's still smoldering underground," said Sheldon Catchot, an S& WB supervisor who was helping manage the flooding effort.
"Smoke and fog — the two don't mix well," said Chris Mickal, a district chief with the New Orleans Fire Department. "The smoke makes the fog stay down low and heavy."
Firefighters say they can't access the fire to assess its size or put it out. The swamp is a roadless area with thick stands of trees and shallow ponds. The S& WB hired a contractor to dig trenches aimed at bringing water closer to the fire.
"With the drought, all the ponds in there have dried up," Catchot said. "Getting water back to the ponds will hopefully swell them up and spread to the source of the fire."
If the flooding doesn't extinguish the fire, residents may have to wait for rain, firefighters said. But clear skies and warm temperatures are expected to last beyond Halloween.
The fire's bad odor and persistence are likely because it has burned into the swamp's dense, boggy soil. Known as peat, the soil is a traditional fuel source in many countries. It's cut into blocks, dried, and burned like coal.
When wetland peat catches fire, it releases an odor that some people compare to fingernail polish or burning plastic.
If people smell smoke, it's best to go indoors, Mickal said. Several New Orleans residents say the smoke has caused nausea and burned their lungs and eyes.
Peat fires can produce smoke laced with harmful chemicals, including mercury and volatile organic compounds, which can cause headaches, skin irritation and other health problems.
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