Health alert issued as smoke from wildfire chokes Bay Area.
Heat wave exacerbates effects of wildfire to create unhealthy air in region
SAN JOSE — Bay Area residents are getting a double assault on the air they breathe this week — smog in a heat wave plus thick smoke drifting from the Soberanes wildfire into the South Bay and heading toward other parts of the Bay Area.
Winds swept wildfire smoke from the Monterey County wildfire to the north into San Jose, Gilroy and other parts of the South Bay late Sunday and Monday as air quality regulators issued a Spare the Air health alert for the region for Tuesday — the second day in a row.
The plume of wildfire smoke may worsen air quality in other parts of the Bay Area as well, depending on wind directions and how much success firefighters have in controlling the blaze.
The blaze, which started Friday at Garrapata State Park, had burned 16,100 acres and 20 homes and was only 10 percent contained as of Monday evening, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported.
Mandatory evacuations were being required in the Palo Colorado neighborhood between Carmel and Big Sur and an evacuation advisory was issued for Carmel Highlands.
On Friday night, 220 Boy Scouts and 40 staff members were ordered to evacuate Camp Pico Blanco near Palo Colorado Canyon, according to the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts.
An evacuation center is open at Carmel Middle School, Cal
Fire said.
More than 1,400 workers and 165 engines are battling the fast-growing fire along the Central Coast that is surrounded by redwoods and sagebrush. Smoke from the fire, along with hot temperatures, prompted Bay Area air quality officials to issue their own warnings.
“If people find themselves in the path of smoke, they should take normal precautions such as going indoors, putting air conditioners on recirculate and consulting with their doctors on dealing with health issues from the smoke,” said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
His overall advice: Use common sense in deciding whether you need to go indoors or take other measures to protect yourself from smoke.
Smoke fills the air with tiny particles that can reach deep into the lungs and trigger asthma, bronchial and heart attacks.
Unofficial readings from air district monitors showed fine particulate readings for the Bay Area were highest in San Jose Monday morning when they peaked about 11 a.m. at a level that would be considered unhealthy for the general public if it lasted for 24 hours. But the fine particle readings declined after that.
“Our monitors show the smoke is entering the South Bay,” Borrmann said. “We expect to see the smoke reach other areas of the Bay Area as well later this week.”
Hot weather is predicted in the Bay Area on Tuesday with triple-digit temperatures expected in Livermore and Concord, and highs in the 90s in San Jose.
Hazy skies may continue the rest of the week.
If there had been no wildfire this week, the smog would have been enough reason for air quality regulators to issue a Spare the Air alert for poor air quality in the nine-county Bay Area, officials said.
Smog, a mixture of auto and factory emissions, can cause eye and throat irritation and worsen asthma and bronchial problems.