---
title: "Colorado Urges Residents to Hide Inside Air Filtrated “Safe Rooms”"
description: "With fires causing dangerous levels of airborne particulates, Colorado officials are urging residents to set up \"safe rooms\" with air purification systems."
date: "2020-08-26"
modified: "2020-08-26"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/colorado-air-filtrated-safe-rooms"
categories:
  - "Environment"
  - "Pollution"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "colorado"
  - "pollution"
  - "smoke"
  - "the digest"
---

# Colorado Urges Residents to Hide Inside Air Filtrated “Safe Rooms”

![With fires causing dangerous levels of airborne particulates, Colorado officials are urging residents to set up "safe rooms" with air purification systems.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/colorado-air-filtrated-safe-rooms.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Futurism\</em\>*

## Fire Sale

As the air in Colorado fills with smoke and airborne particulates from wildfires, as well as dangerous levels of ozone from vehicles and industrial facilities aggravated by high heat, the *Denver Post* [reports that](<https://www.denverpost.com/2020/08/25/colorado-wildfire-smoke-pollution-ozone/>) officials in the state are urging residents to set up "safe rooms" in their homes, outfitted with air purification systems.

These safe rooms should be where residents "spend the most time," state air quality meteorologist Scott Landes told the newspaper.

## Great Filter

Speaking with the *Colorado Springs Gazette*, Landes [opined that](<https://gazette.com/news/poor-air-quality-in-pikes-peak-region-incredibly-rare-colorado-meteorologist-says/article_57ec9a1e-e6ee-11ea-8108-9b6b089e1989.html>) the apocalyptic atmospheric conditions are related to climate change. He also warned that only the wealthy will be able to afford effective masks and air filtration systems.

"Socioeconomic factors definitely come into play," he said. "A lot of times in the locations where there is already a lot of man-made pollution, we find more socioeconomically challenged people."

## Dark Days

Much of the smoke is drifting into the state from fires in California, according to the *Gazette*, but it's also coming from several large fires in Colorado.

Landes told the paper that he's hopeful the conditions will slowly improve over the course of the week.

**READ MORE:** [ Wildfire haze, record heat and pollution combine to make Denver air quality dangerous for all](<https://www.denverpost.com/2020/08/25/colorado-wildfire-smoke-pollution-ozone/>) \[*The Denver Post*\]

**More on safe rooms:** [*Zuckerberg Said to Have “Panic Chute” for Escape From Facebook HQ*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/zuckerberg-panic-chute-escape-facebook>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)