Alabama 811 | Know What's Below.

Inversion Will Cause Smoke from Helena Pipeline Fire to Hover Closer to Ground Tonight

| October 31, 2016 @ 5:11 pm

Light winds are helping firefighters control the woodland fire that has been triggered by the huge pipeline fire near Helena. The secondary fire covers 10 acres at this time and is spreading slowly. Alabama Forestry Commission teams are on site and have just brought in heavy equipment.

Here is a recent image of the fire from Cindy Honeycutt @mcscutt:

2016-10-31_17-07-16

Shelby County is asking residents along County Road 13 near the fire to evacuate due to the heavy smoke. This is not mandatory, but voluntary.

As evening approaches and the nighttime temperature inversion kicks in, the smoke will no longer be able to rise. This will cause it to spread out near the ground. This dense smoke could cause respiratory problems in the area.

In addition, please stay off County Road 13 in the area for firefighters, emergency crews and evacuees can move freely.

There is no threat to the City of Helena however.

Water is having to be trucked to the fire scene.

There are conflicting reports, but somewhere 8-9 people were injured, some seriously, in the explosion that happened around 3 p.m. UAB reports 4 patients at their facility, with two more enroute.

Category: Alabama's Weather

About the Author ()

Bill Murray is the President of The Weather Factory. He is the site's official weather historian and a weekend forecaster. He also anchors the site's severe weather coverage. Bill Murray is the proud holder of National Weather Association Digital Seal #0001 @wxhistorian

Comments are closed.