Smoke From Camp Fire Continues To Blanket Northern California

BAY AREA, CA – A Winter Spare the Air Alert remains in effect through Tuesday, Nov. 20, in the Bay Area as smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County continues to blanket Northern California.

The alert was extended Thursday, Nov. 15, in response to the blaze, which is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.

Also see: Death Toll Climbs To 56 In Camp Fire, 130 Unaccounted For

Air quality continues to be unhealthy throughout the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California, and these conditions are expected to persist through the end of the work week, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

"We will experience heavy wildfire smoke impacts throughout the Bay Area as the Camp Fire in Butte County continues to burn," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District. "For this reason, we have extended the Winter Spare the Air Alert through Tuesday and it is critical that Bay Area residents not burn wood and further contribute to the unhealthy air quality we are experiencing."

Wood burning is banned both indoors and outdoors during the Winter Spare the Air Alert.

It is illegal for Bay Area residents to burn wood or other solid fuels in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire-pits, or other wood-burning devices. The wood-burning ban is in effect for Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southern Sonoma and southwestern Solano counties, according to the air district.

The fine particles and carcinogenic substances in wood smoke is especially harmful to children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions, air district officials said. Smoke from wood-burning fires has been linked to illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and lung disease.

Residents who violate the rule for the first time have the option to take a class instead of paying a $100 fine. Residents who violate the rule a second time must pay a $500 fine, with the fine increasing for subsequent violations.

Click here for real-time air quality readings.

Also see:

• Poor Bay Area Air Quality Closes Colleges, Universities
• Before And After: Choking Bay Area Smoke Photos
• Crossing the Bay Through The Smoke: Photos of the Day

Photo credit: Laura Maxey