Wildfire Smoke Triggers Air Quality Advisory Through Friday

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A rapidly-spreading wildfire in Butte County sent smoke over Northern California on Thursday, Nov. 8, prompting the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue an air quality advisory for the San Francisco Bay Area through Friday, Nov. 9.

The blaze, called the Camp Fire, broke out around 6:30 a.m. in the Feather River Canyon, near the town of Paradise, according to Cal Fire. By 10 a.m., the fire had burned 5,000 acres.

Also see:

• Camp Fire Rages In Butte County, Prompts Evacuations
• Camp Fire: 70,000 Acres Burned, New Evacuations In Butte County

The Bay Area is expected to experience air quality impacts as smoke from the Camp Fire moves into the region, according to the air district, which is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

The air district did not forecast an exceedance of the federal air quality health standard for the region and did not issue a Spare the Air alert.

Air district officials advised Bay Area residents to avoid exposure to the smoke by staying inside with windows and doors closed and by setting air conditioning units and car vent systems to re-circulate to prevent outside air from coming inside.

Smoke can irritate the eyes and airways, causing coughing, a scratchy throat and irritated sinuses. Elevated particulate matter in the air can trigger wheezing in people who suffer from asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions are particularly susceptible to elevated air pollution levels and should take extra precautions to avoid exposure, officials said.

Click here for real-time air quality readings.

Photo: The massive plume from the Camp Fire, burning in the Feather River Canyon near Paradise, Calif., wafts over the Sacramento Valley as seen from Chico, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Authorities in Northern California have ordered mandatory evacuations in a rural area where the wildfire has grown to 1,000 acres (405 hectares) amid hot and windy weather. Photo by David Little/Chico Enterprise-Record via AP