Air Quality Advisories Issued for Friday, Saturday Due to Wildfire Smoke
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing air quality advisories for Friday and Saturday because of wildfire smoke, according to officials.
The agency noted that pollution levels are not expected to exceed federal health standards and prompt a Spare the Air alert.
Smoke from wildfires across California and further north in Oregon and Washington have prompted several air quality advisories in the region in recent weeks.
By Thursday morning, the Caldor Fire had grown to 136,643 acres with 12 percent containment and has been choking the Lake Tahoe Area with smoke all week. Meanwhile the Dixie Fire has grown to 747,091 acres and is at 45 percent containment.
Air district officials say that the Bay Area should have moderate air quality and that they will monitor the pollution levels. Last week, excessive levels of smoke prompted the district to issue Spare the Air alerts, which ban wood burning both indoors and outdoors.
Early Thursday morning, the Bay Area office of the National Weather Service said that wildfire smoke would likely remain to the east of the Bay Area on Thursday. However, on Friday smoke from the Dixie and Monument fires will likely drift southward over the Bay Area as dry north winds develop.
If anyone smells smoke, the air district advises them to stay inside with windows and doors closed and to set air conditioning and car vent systems to recirculate.
Residents can keep track of the latest air quality readings at baaqmd.gov/highs or the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map at fire.airnow.gov.
To find out when a Spare the Air Alert is in effect, residents can sign up for text alerts by texting the word "START" to 817-57, register for email AirAlerts at sparetheair.org, call 1(800) HELP-AIR, download the Spare the Air App or connect with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.
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