010823 Fridley Fire Smoke Plume

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23 Aug 2001: When forest fires rage there is little stopping Mother Nature. The skies can be smoke-darkened for weeks. "Marginal but Legal" fair weather flying conditions call for at least three (3) miles of visibility. When the smoke from forest fires rolls in the area can be reduced to one (1) mile visibility, similar to flying in fog. This is the smoke plume from the Fridley Fire in the Paradise Valley south of Livingston. We were about 8,500' msl westbound back to Belgrade and the smoke kept pushing us lower.

010823_Fridley Fire 1