By Grace Kertz, Editorial Intern

Another cloudy day in the Northeast… or is it? Residents throughout the Northeast have reported the smell of smoke, and others have been impacted by reduced visibility. This was created by a brush fire behind the drop-off on Chouteau and Front Street. While the cause of the fire is unknown, fire crews have been working relentlessly to extinguish it.

Jason Spreitzer, Public Information Officer at the Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD), shared that it remains active and is unknown when it will be fully put out.

“We have crews on scene that are around the clock addressing it,” Spreitzer said.

He elaborated on their work, saying that high mulch fires present particular challenges, as the fire goes deep into the pile. The department must put water on it, strip the pile down, and have property representative crews work with property owners. The department has one truck in place, one line mobile on the ground, and is using master-screens.

Officer Spreitzer articulated that throughout this process, crews are, “continuously monitoring the air quality.”

The KCFD has its own HAZMAT team and a chemist who are using air monitoring devices to run air samples close to the site. No hazardous results have been presented.

On behalf of the fire, Spreitzer assured that “crews will be out there until it’s put out.”