Bay Area Air Quality in Danger with Recent Fire Activity

Every day in the news we are seeing a new fire break out, either in the 9 county Bay Area or nearby. It appears that California is experiencing an unusually high incidence of wildfires this early in the year. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, there are currently 1,032 fires active in the state, burning over 132,000 acres, with only 232 are contained. Almost 12,000 firefighters are battling these blazes at the time of this writing, and my understanding is that more are being hired as the summer fire season progresses.

Right now four fires are throwing smoke our way:

• In the north, the Wild Fire in Napa/Solano Counties began on Saturday burning over 4000 acres, and is now 100% contained. Only 1 outbuilding was destroyed.
• The Whitehurst/Hummingbird Fire west of Gilroy and Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County began on Saturday afternoon, and has claimed a total of about 994 acres. The Hummingbird Fire is 100% contained, and the Whitehurst was 95% contained at last report.
• A bit further south in Monterey County, the Indians Fire has been ongoing in Los Padres National Forest since June 8th. Spread out over the park’s 58,000 acres, it is reported to be 71% contained.
• A new Basin Complx Fire has broken out just above Monterey, and is comprised of two fires over 20,000 acres. So far 16 residences have been destroyed, with 500 more threatened. It is only 3% contained as of last night.

Smoke from wildfires in northern and central California is currently affecting air quality in the Bay Area. The Bay Area Air Quality District is reporting that air quality in portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Solano, and Sonoma Counties is forecast to exceed federal health standards today. They are advising residents in areas affected by the smoke to be cautious and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.

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