Fires disrupt travel plans at JWA

June Casagrande

Raging forest fires to the north and to the south continued to affect

the area Monday, with canceled and delayed flights at John Wayne

Airport and persistent smoke lingering in the air.

On Sunday, about 66 flights were canceled and another 77 delayed

at John Wayne due to a regional crunch on air traffic controllers.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Miramar headquarters was

forced to shut down after smoke from San Diego County fires

overwhelmed the facility. Though the headquarters had not been

directly damaged in the fire, by midday Monday about 250 air traffic

controllers were still displaced due to the smoke, an administration

spokesman said. Some were reassigned to other area airports, but

those facilities can’t accommodate all the workers.

All six of the region’s airports have been feeling the effects,

with John Wayne no exception.

“JWA right now is not operating with business as usual,” airport

spokesman Justin McCusker said. “The best thing passengers can do is

remember to check with the airline to make sure their flights haven’t

been canceled or delayed.”

Authorities are not sure how long the air traffic controller

shortage will affect flights at John Wayne. By 8:30 a.m. Monday,

there had already been about 32 delayed flights and 15 cancellations.

At the same time, smoke continued to pollute local skies,

prompting health officials to issue warnings.

“Most people will be fine, but I’d recommend that people limit

outdoor exertion and listen to their bodies’ warning signs,” said

Michael T. Kleinman, professor of Community and Environmental

Medicine at UC Irvine’s College of Medicine.

People can reduce their exposure to irritating and potentially

toxic particles by using their car air conditioners to help filter

the air and by skipping their daily outdoor jogging excursions until

the air is clear.

“The main message is listen to your body,” Kleinman said. “Very

often you’ll get sensations -- irritated eyes, roughness in throat --

that tell you you’re in the presence of something that is

irritating.”

Winds were expected to have changed direction by today, creating

an onshore flow that could push smoke out of the area.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].