Underground fire in remote Alaska raises concerns about toxic gas

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130818/underground-fire-burning-remote-alaska-raises-concerns-about-toxic-gas

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That cold air doesn’t stop the fire from burning, though. Yukon-Charley ranger Sanders said she snapped a photo of the pit burning at 60 below zero last winter. Woodruff estimates the caldera has tripled in size since it was first photographed last autumn after the first snow.

It’s burning hot, too. National Park Service geologist Linda Stromquist, who has able to take a trip to the fire site and put boots on the ground this summer, measured one fissure at 545 degrees fahrenheit, Sanders said. Stromquist herself was on leave and unavailable for comment.

Barbara Trost, air quality program manager with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, confirmed Sanders’ second-hand report that the surface temperature at the fire was quite high. She also said that Stromquist’s trip to the Tatonduk slump confirmed the presence of sulfur dioxide on a sensor the team brought to the location.

The DEC is planning a trip up to Eagle in order to meet with members of the community and folks at Yukon-Charley Preserve, in order to determine the best location for an air monitor that can detect the presence of sulfur dioxide.
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So if the methane doesn't get us, the sulfur dioxide will.

[nykym]

1. First few lines from Air (Hair)

Welcome! Sulfur dioxide
Hello! Carbon monoxide
The air, the air
Is everywhere