The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended Spare the Air alerts through Tuesday because of wildfire smoke that is still causing elevated pollution levels around the region.
The air district has issued a long string of the alerts, which ban the burning of wood and other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors, after lightning strikes sparked wildfires around the Bay Area two weekends ago.
Although the amount of smoke around the region has lessened thanks to on-shore breezes and crews making progress on containing the blazes, air quality is still expected to be unhealthy through the weekend, particularly near the fires in the North Bay and South Bay, according to the air district.
Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, said in a statement:
“Unfortunately, over the next several days we’re expecting more of the same smoky conditions we’ve been experiencing from the wildfires that continue to burn in the region.”
Broadbent added:
“As climate change makes wildfire season a ‘new normal’ in California, it’s important that we all track our local air quality conditions and stay indoors, when necessary, to reduce smoke exposure.”
People can find out when a Spare the Air alert is in effect by texting “START” to 81757, registering for email alerts at www.sparetheair.org, calling (800) HELP-AIR, downloading the Spare the Air smartphone app, or connecting with Spare the Air on Facebook or Twitter.
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