Heavy Smoke Blanketing NorCal Not Safe To Breathe, Air District Says

BAY AREA, CA – With heavy smoke from Northern California wildfires continuing to blanket the region, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued both a health advisory and Spare the Air alert through the weekend. Wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres across multiple counties, generating thick plumes of smoke and giving rise to dangerous air quality throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

"Very unhealthy air quality from the wildfires in the North Bay is causing unprecedented levels of air pollution throughout the Bay Area," the agency said in a news release. "Due to active wildfires and changing wind patterns, air quality could be impacted for many days to come."

The map below, from the Environmental Protection Agency, shows the air quality index levels for the Bay Area. Most of the region has experienced "very unhealthy" or "unhealthy" air quality since the devastating fires sparked late Sunday night.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, a portion of the Bay Area is in the purple zone, which means the air quality is "very unhealthy." Air quality is "unhealthy" in the red zone and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" in the orange zone, while yellow means the air quality is "moderate."

A large portion of the Bay Area is expected to experience "unhealthy" air quality Friday, according to the forecast depicted in the map below from the Environmental Protection Agency.

With strong winds expected to return to the region Friday night, the National Weather Service has issued another red flag warning and wind advisory for the fire-ravaged region. Smoke is expected to impact the Bay Area into Monday, according to weather officials.

<< Red Flag Warning: Dangerous Fire Conditions Continue In Bay Area >>

Bay Area residents impacted by heavy smoke, especially people in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties, are urged to seek shelter in buildings with filtered air or relocate to areas less impacted by wildfire smoke until smoke levels subside. With smoke blanketing the region and ash falling from the sky, many schools have closed and sports practices and other weekend events have been canceled in impacted areas.

Some people have been spotted wearing masks. Air district officials advised people in heavy smoke-impacted areas to use N95 masks to help minimize breathing fine particles. The district delivered 20,000 such masks to Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties to be distributed to locations such as evacuation centers.

Air district officials also encouraged residents who see or smell smoke in their area to stay indoors and limit any outdoor activities. People who are indoors should set their air conditioning to recirculate to avoid bringing outside air into buildings.

Because of the serious air quality conditions in parts of the Bay Area, air district officials also asked residents to avoid activities that can add to the air pollution, such as wood burning, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, driving and barbecuing.

Spare the Air alerts are issued when smog is forecast to reach unhealthy levels. Smog can cause throat irritation, congestion, chest pain, trigger asthma, inflame the lining of the lungs and worsen bronchitis and emphysema. Long-term exposure to smog can reduce the functioning of someone's lungs.

Children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and heart disease are most impacted.

Click here for real-time air quality readings.

Watch: Drone Footage Shows Wildfire Devastation In NorCal

Also see:

• Northern California Wildfire Latest: Death Toll Climbs, Acres Burn
• Red Flag Warning: Dangerous Fire Conditions Continue In Bay Area
• SMART Continues Free Train Service Through Sunday
• North Bay Wildfires Close Schools In Marin County

Photo: Smoke from wildfires blankets the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in this view near Sausalito, Calif. Credit: Eric Risberg/Associated Press