Smell of smoke likely from Quebec, officials say
By Melanie Creamer mcreamer@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Police and fire departments across the state are busy responding to calls this morning about smoke complaints, but the smell is likely from several forest fires burning in Quebec, said a dispatcher with the Maine Forest Service.
Maine State Police has received more than 30 calls about smoke complaints.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s office has received numerous calls with concerns. Chad Arris, a shift supervisor at the sheriff’s office, said the department has received calls of smoke complaints from several town across the state such as Naples, Raymond, Casco, Gray-New Gloucester, Baldwin, Sebago and Gorham.
“None of the calls we have received have resulted in a fire,” Arris said.
Portland’s police and fire departments have been inundated with 911 calls about the smell of smoke. Lt. Chris Goodall, of the Portland Fire Department, said his truck has been on three calls. None of them have resulted in a fire, Goodall said.
“They are concerned they are smelling smoke outside, but we believe they are smelling smoke that is being carried from wind currents from Quebec.”
As of Friday afternoon, Quebec's forest fire protection agency (SOPFEU) said 56 fires were burning across the north-central part of the province, including 10 that remain out of control. The fire zone covers 160 acres of forest.
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29 COMMENTS
UGF0cmlvdGlubWU%3D said...
I was ready to blame the neighbors, how about that!
May 30, 2010 at 11:42 AM Report abuse
null said...
Strong smoke smell in Hollis as well. Was wondering until some firefighting friends told me about the fires in Quebec.
May 30, 2010 at 11:48 AM Report abuse
BSmart said...
Bush's Fault!
May 30, 2010 at 12:10 PM Report abuse
LadyHawk said...
I live high up on a hill over looking downtown Biddeford. I have also been smelling the faint smell of something smoky this morning. The only time I have smelled MERC is when I am down by the river (it has a smell of garbage) down in the valley. It is too bad about the fires in Quebec, I hope no one is hurt.
May 30, 2010 at 12:33 PM Report abuse
Herb said...
We've been smelling smoke in Waterboro all morning. Amazing to find the smell is coming from that far away. Thank goodness it's not closer - our woods are ripe for a forest fire. We need rain!
May 30, 2010 at 12:35 PM Report abuse
wononscopomu said...
The smoke was detected in Cape Elizabeth and Portland, too. It wasn't my wood stove this time!
May 30, 2010 at 12:43 PM Report abuse
Steve04070 said...
From the Cdn news stories I've read, the fires are primarily being attributed to unusual-for-late-May multiple days of record-breaking heat and lack of rain. Just a taste of what we all have to look forward to as our climate gradually warms. (Did you know that May 2010 is now Portland's 7th straight month with temps significantly above normal, per the Gray NWS? And that we've now had 7 new daily record highs in 2010, and we're only 5 months into the year. Never before on record have we had 7 new record highs in 1 year, let alone 5 months!) Yesterday's PPH story about the damage done to the apple crop because of mid-May's normal frost in southern ME? Counterintuitively also a consequence of a warming climate, since as the article mentioned, the trees were, easily, one to two weeks earlier than historical norm in blossoming because of our persistently warmer than normal temps lately. So when climatically normal mid-May frost came along? DEAD BLOSSOMS, and ruined apple crops.
May 30, 2010 at 1:02 PM Report abuse
frankmargel said...
Just wait until the oil from the Gulf hits our beaches!
May 30, 2010 at 1:08 PM Report abuse
MeJeepNut said...
to bad the smoke was not from the burning of Quebec's vast collection of speedos......
May 30, 2010 at 1:44 PM Report abuse
jake007 said...
I wonder if the wind was blowing the other way, could people in Quebec smell the old Pine State Byproducts in So.Portland when in was open?
May 30, 2010 at 1:52 PM Report abuse
frescafresca said...
I smelled smoke really early this morning, around 4am. Thought it was my chimney but it never smells like that. Wow! I'm very very saddened to hear of the Quebec fires and the tragedy for all the creatures who lived there.
May 30, 2010 at 2:04 PM Report abuse
laloo said...
I was in Kennebunkport this am was walking around this morning asking what that smoky smell was. Good to know I'm not crazy.
May 30, 2010 at 2:33 PM Report abuse
sierra-tango said...
I thought someone in the neighborhood was burning garbage or something. Glad it wasn't that, but very sorry for what they're going through in Quebec.
May 30, 2010 at 2:51 PM Report abuse
tnsjil said...
Wonder if Mr. Arris has ever seen a telephone call result in a fire? If lightning struck a house and the telephone line short-circuited, or a cell phone battery exploded, the result could be a fire. Similarly, I doubt that Lt. Goodall has found that sending trucks on false alarm calls ever results in a fire - although it could tragically result in not responding to a real fire in a timely fashion.
May 30, 2010 at 3:31 PM Report abuse
Merrigan said...
I can smell it in midcoast. Actually kind of a nice smell.
May 30, 2010 at 3:35 PM Report abuse
JB said...
I smelled the smoke in Bowdoinham this morning - it reminded me of the Quebec fires in 2002 whose smoke drifted across Maine. It made for some very dramatic sunrises and sunsets!
May 30, 2010 at 3:37 PM Report abuse
Justincase said...
Thank God the fire wasn't coming from Derry otherwise we'd all have to smell that Derry air.
May 30, 2010 at 6:51 PM Report abuse
4onthefloor said...
The air was very thick with the smell of smoke here in Biddeford this morning. Location: St. Luis Ball field/Biddeford. Right about 8:30 am or so my wife climbs up the stairs to inform me of the strong odor when she had opened the front door for the fresh morning air. She literaly thought there was a nearby fire and was alarmed. I opened the second story bedroom window and sure enough there was a strong presence of smoke odor and a light haze that you could see far across the nighborhood. At this point I reached for the scanner and turned it on thinking maybe I would get an earfull of info as to where or what was on fire. We really thought it was local. No dice! We chalked it up thinkin maybe ther was a nieghbor nearby burnin some brush or what not and went about our day...uptil now. I am amazed by how far this smoke has traveled!
May 30, 2010 at 10:07 PM Report abuse
MissErika said...
I cheerily said, "Oh honey, you know its summer when you wake up and smell the campfire!" We live near Acres of Wildlife Campground.
May 30, 2010 at 11:39 PM Report abuse
Adam180 said...
On the drive home tonight in Windham at about midnight, I noticed the moon just barley shining through what I assumed were overcast skies or fog? However, the clouds were orangish/red and you could just barley make out the moon. It was really strange looking, and I've never seen it like that before? Was this the smoke?
May 31, 2010 at 12:29 AM Report abuse
anymitzy said...
better than the muck fires in Florida
May 31, 2010 at 7:10 AM Report abuse
LadyHawk said...
I got up about 30 minutes ago. The smell of smoke was and is very strong. It is extremely hazy looking out over Biddeford and Saco. If it is this nasty down here what are the good folks in Quebec having to deal with.
May 31, 2010 at 7:17 AM Report abuse
null said...
LOl Justincase!
May 31, 2010 at 7:54 AM Report abuse
ketchfish said...
From the National Weather Service: "...AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM MONDAY UNTIL 11 PM MONDAY... THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION HAS ISSUED AN AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY FOR WESTERN MAINE. THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... ANDROSCOGGIN...SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL SOMERSET...CUMBERLAND... YORK...KENNEBEC...FRANKLIN...OXFORD AND SAGADAHOC. WESTERN REGIONS OF MAINE HAVE ALREADY REACHED UNHEALTHY LEVELS OF PARTICLE POLLUTION DUE TO SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES IN QUEBEC. PEOPLE WITH A HEART OR LUNG DISEASE SHOULD REDUCE THEIR LEVEL OF EXERTION."
May 31, 2010 at 9:11 AM Report abuse
Billswifey said...
Maine has one of the highest rates of cancer in the country...most of the pollution that comes from Canada you can't smell!
May 31, 2010 at 9:35 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
strong smell!! The cat, who was let out earlier, was in a panic, frantically scratching at the door to get back INTO the house.
May 31, 2010 at 9:41 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
"Maine has one of the highest rates of cancer in the country...most of the pollution that comes from Canada you can't smell!" Well I walked to school in the smog of sulfer dioxide from SD Warren, miles away, every morning. We could SEE IT and SMELL it. It "burned off" by noon or so. My mother and the weatherman called it FOGG. NOPE it was smog!!! Likely had an effect on young ( and old) lungs.
May 31, 2010 at 9:47 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
and I remember our river's brown with foam with logs still floating down them to the mills!!!
May 31, 2010 at 9:50 AM Report abuse
nascar said...
I live on the very southern edge of New Hampshire, and the smell and hazy skies reached us this morning.
May 31, 2010 at 10:12 AM Report abuse