The wildfires in California and Oregon have recently triggered air quality warnings in the San Francisco Bay Area. Reports say the smoke from the wildfires has reached the “high-moderate” level of the Air Quality Index.
On September 19, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory in the San Francisco Bay Area that was scheduled to last until September 20. Reports say the advisory came after the smoke from the wildfires in California and Oregon reached the “high-moderate” level of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index.An article in USA Today states that according to the advisory, due to the wildfires in California and Oregon, the smell of smoke is possible and hazy skies may be visible. Fortunately, the levels of the pollutants are not expected to exceed the nationwide 24-hour health standard.
Furthermore, the advisory also did not implement a “Spare the Air” alert which is only used when ozone levels are unhealthy, especially for children, seniors, and individuals with respiratory and heart conditions. Nonetheless, health officials still advised anyone who could smell smoke from wildfires in California and Oregon to stay indoors, make sure any opening is closed, and use air conditioning units and car ventilation.
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Wildfires in California and Oregon
According to an article in CBS News, apart from the air quality advisory, on September 20, the National Weather Service also placed a fire-weather watch for areas of the interior North Bay that is scheduled to last until today, September 21.
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