Is it fog? Is it smoke? Turns out, it's a bit of both.
That hint of smoke you might be smelling on this foggy Thursday morning may be related to a large fire that broke out in Commerce City.
South Adams Fire Department crews responded to an early morning fire in Commerce City near 74th Avenue and Dahlia Street. The fire was extinguished relatively quickly, but crews continue to monitor the area for hotspots.
A spokesperson for the department said they are still trying to determine where the fire originated and what was inside each building when the fire broke out.
"It's a commercial area and there's six structures that were involved and many of them were independently owned shops," said Maria Carabajal, a public information officer for the department. "Because there were so many structures, we don't know what type of business they are."
Carabajal said one person, perhaps a property manager or guard, was on the scene at the time of the fire, but they evacuated safely and didn't need medical attention. The cause of the fire is unknown.
A smoky smell present in Denver may be due to the fire. That's been exacerbated by the fog currently blanketed over Denver. According to NASA, fog can trap bad air closer to the surface.
As of Thursday morning, air quality in the Front Range is at moderate levels of unhealthiness. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment attributed that level to a moderate amount of fine particulates in the air.
The National Weather Service is warning of poor visibility through the rest of the morning, including at Denver International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration says arrivals to DIA are being delayed an average of one hour due to low visibility on the runway.
So far, 137 flights in or out of DIA have been delayed Thursday, while 5 flights have been canceled.
