Smoky Bay Area Air Prompts Record 15th Straight Spare The Air Alert
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The longest string of Spare the Air alerts ever issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District because of wildfire smoke in the region will continue through at least Thursday, according to the air district.
The alerts, which ban the burning of wood and other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors, have come after lightning strikes in mid-August sparked wildfires around the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California.
Tuesday marked 15 consecutive days with a Spare the Air Alert, breaking the previous record of 14 days in a row back in 2018 during the Camp Fire.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended the current alert through Thursday. From there, the district will evaluate it but will likely extend it into the upcoming holiday weekend.
- Bay Area Air Quality Management District
- BAAQMD Current Air Quality
- EPA AirNow
- Purple Air – Tracks particulate matter, sensors may register higher numbers than the air actual air quality.
The SCU Lightning Complex fires in the East Bay and South Bay and the LNU Lightning Complex fires in the North Bay are the second- and third-largest fires in state history in terms of acres burned.
Smoke from the fires is continuing to cause elevated levels of pollution that can cause health issues, particularly to those with pre-existing issues like asthma or emphysema.
The air district recommends that people stay inside with windows and doors closed until the smoke levels go down, and to set air conditioning and car vent systems to re-circulate to stop outside air from coming inside.
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