Wildfire smoke creates pollution risk in Calif.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities.
Air pollution readings in the region are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, said yesterday.
Some areas are experiencing the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging down to the ground like a fog.
Air-quality agencies are especially concerned about high readings of small-particle pollution. The tiniest particles can penetrate the body's immune defenses, traveling deep into the lungs and the bloodstream.
"When you have it on the scale we are seeing now, it is very dangerous to the general public health," Stanich said. "This is a very serious problem."
Some veterinary offices said pet owners were bringing in dogs and cats with symptoms ranging from weepy eyes and irritated skin to difficulty breathing or unusual lethargy. Vets were advising that pets remain inside until the smoke clears.
Changing weather brought smoke-clearing breezes and brief relief to some areas yesterday, but it could also bring lightning storms similar to the ones that ignited fires across Northern California a week ago.
The thunderstorms could also bring a small amount of much-needed rain. The front was expected to pass by today, setting up a second week of abysmal air quality.
The renewed threat of dry lightning and stiffer breezes that could stir the wildfires led fire officials to declare a "red flag warning" - meaning the most extreme fire danger - until 5 a.m. tomorrow for Northern California.
Yesterday, President Bush issued an emergency declaration for California and ordered federal agencies to assist in firefighting efforts. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had made the request on Friday.
More than 15,000 firefighters, 1,000 fire engines, and more than 80 helicopters and airplanes were fighting more than 1,000 fires yesterday, said Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"The summer has just begun and fire conditions will only get tougher," Grijalva warned in a weekly radio address on behalf of the governor.
Areas hardest hit include Butte County, where 31 fires have burned 19 square miles and threatened 1,200 homes; Mendocino County, where 121 fires have burned 45 square miles and threatened 900 homes; and Shasta and Trinity Counties, where about 160 fires have burned 58 square miles and threatened 230 homes.
South of the tourist town of Big Sur in the Los Padres National Forest, a wildfire that started three weeks ago had burned 92 square miles and destroyed 16 structures, including two homes. It was 80 percent contained yesterday.
