Smoke lingers in Colorado Springs

Smoke from the Hayden Pass Fire can be seen for miles. Doctors in Colorado Springs say they’ve heard health concerns about the air quality.

We spoke with a woman who says she had an asthma attack because of the lingering smoke in Colorado Springs.

“I used my inhaler, which I thought was going to work, but I just ended up coughing more and more. I started coughing so bad it turned into a full-blown asthma attack,” said Jade Trujillo.

Trujillo has both asthma and allergies. For the second time in her life, she had to use her nebulizer.

“It’s bad enough when you feel like you can’t breathe, but when you feel like your medicine isn’t working it just sends you into panic,” Trujillo said.

“For our asthma patients it can be a dangerous situation,” said physician Matthew Bowdish.

Bowdish says people with cardiac and respiratory issues are affected by the smoke as well.

If you are sensitive to the smoke, it’s best to stay inside, close your windows and use air conditioning.

Bowdish also says dust masks won’t help.

“The typical mask probably will not block all the small smoke particles. Those dusk masks are meant for things like sawdust,” Bowdish said.