Air quality advisory issued as wildfire smoke blankets Bay Area

Regulators issued an air quality advisory for the Bay Area on Thursday as smoke from surrounding wildfires affected the region. The advisory lasted into Friday, but experts said coastal winds might clear out the smoke by Thursday night.

Smoke pollution was varied throughout the nine Bay Area counties. The EPA’s Fire and Smoke map, which residents can use to check smoke levels in their neighborhood, showed relatively worse air quality in the East Bay and North Bay Thursday evening. No Spare the Air alert is in effect.

Kristina Chu of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District advised people in affected areas to stay inside with doors and windows closed if possible. Residents can further reduce exposure by setting air conditioners to recirculate or by heading to “clean air” locations with filtered air, such as malls and libraries. Populations that are more vulnerable to smoke pollution, including the elderly, children and people with respiratory conditions, should be especially careful.

“Just because you’re not smelling it doesn’t mean you’re not impacted,” Chu said. “Exposure to wildfire smoke is unhealthy, even for short periods of time.”

Research has shown pollution from wildfire smoke to be particularly harmful for the brain.

In Northern California, the Park Fire continued to burn Thursday, surpassing 427,000 acres. The Crozier Fire, which began Wednesday, had consumed some 1,187 acres in El Dorado County. Chu said various blazes could have contributed to Thursday’s air quality decline. Wildfires have been spotted along the West Coast as far north as Canada.

“We’re kind of surrounded by fires right now,” Chu said.

The increase in harmful smoke Thursday is due to a high pressure system that “greatly limits air flow,” said Rick Canepa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. This weather pattern prevents air from mixing vertically, trapping wildfire smoke close to the ground.

Onshore winds headed in from the coast Thursday night are expected to improve air quality.

This is a developing report. Check back for updates.