Wildfires impact Sonoma County air quality

A familiar haze hung in the sky Friday, during the 10th smoke-related Spare the Air alert of the season.

Longer, more intense wildfire seasons have in the past two years contributed to poor air quality, and a smoke-related advisory will remain in effect through Sunday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said. The current alert was triggered by smoke from the Mendocino Complex fires mingling with fog, which pushed the region’s air pollution beyond levels that exceeded federal health standards, said Lisa Fasano, the agency’s spokeswoman.

“Recently, there are more and more enormous fires that are lasting for long periods of time in the summer months. That smoke impacts the air quality …These past two years, we’re seeing more impacts from smoke beyond the winter season than we have experienced in years before,” she said, referencing wood burning stoves that create smoke in the winter.

Sonoma County saw moderate air quality Friday, with the same conditions forecast for today, meaning that “unusually sensitive” people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Cal Fire data indicate there are seven blazes burning between San Francisco and the Oregon border. Still, the air quality in the North Bay has not been as poor as it was in October’s firestorm, Fasano said. The department issued a slew of various air quality alerts during the October fires, but exact numbers for 2017 smoke-?related Spare the Air alerts were not available Friday.

“Last year, specifically in Sonoma and Napa counties, we had the worst air quality we’ve seen probably ever,” Fasano said.

This week, the air quality district issued a rare later afternoon Spare the Air alert because smoke “completely blanketed” the area with poor air, she said.

Today is not a Spare the Air day, but the agency issued a separate smoke advisory though Sunday, she said.

Steve Anderson, a Monterey-based meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said winds were expected to pick up over the weekend, from “light to nonexistent” Friday afternoon to about 15 mph, pushing out smoke.

“We’ll have increased air quality by Saturday,” he said.

The last Spare the Air alert was issued Aug. 18, Fasano said.

It’s not clear how air quality will fare through the rest of the summer months, she said.

“It’s very hard to tell,” she said. “It’s very dependent on the fires and how quickly they get them out … and if we have later season fires.”

Poor air quality can trigger asthma, lead to throat irritation, congestion, chest pain and worsen bronchitis and emphysema. It is particularity harmful to children, seniors and those with respiratory and heart conditions.

Chad Krilich, chief medical officer for St. Joseph Health in Sonoma County, advised caution during poor air quality days.

“You want to try to stay indoors if you look outside and see air quality isn’t so great …if you need to go outside for any specific reason when air quality is bad here locally, or moderate as it stands right now, you just want to limit exposure,” he said Friday.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.