Forest Fire Smoke Clouds Over

Two large Northern California forest fires caused a substantial smoke cover over Merced County the past few days forcing the residents to stay indoors to avoid health hazards.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District spokeswoman, Brenda Turner said that the forest fires in Plumas County and in Santa Clara County of North California have caused the skies of Merced County to be clouded by smoke.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has reported that the Moonlight Fire in Plumas County, northeast of Sacramento, began Monday afternoon and has covered almost 20,000 acres. The smoke from this fire is being carried over to the San Joaquin Valley air basin by the north to northeastern winds.

The Lick Fire in Santa Clara County also began Monday afternoon and it had covered about 11,000 acres by Thursday morning. This fire, east of Morgan Hill is mainly sending the smoke toward Monterey but it may have contributed some smoke to the Valley.

According to the air quality forecast by the San Joaquin Air Quality Control District, the air conditions are slightly better today compared to the smoky conditions yesterday. While Thursday's conditions were reported unhealthy for everyone, today, only sensitive groups, such as asthmatics, were warned to keep their outdoor activities limited.

On Thursday, high levels of particle matter were reported in the Merced area implying that tiny pieces of soot, ash and droplets of liquid were abundant in the air. The district sent out advisory notices to Valley counties, including Merced, warning residents of possible health risks caused by the smoke. Such conditions can aggravate respiratory conditions. "Even those who are healthy, try to stay indoors when you can," Turner warned.

Melissa Kelly-Ortega, program associate for the Merced/Mariposa County Asthma Coalition said that these conditions are particularly concerning for asthmatics. All inhaler users should keep their inhalers with them at all times unerringly. Kelly-Ortega added that while severe asthmatics are predisposed to watch over their conditions explicitly, mild asthmatics can forget their inhalers, which can cause acute problems in situations like this.

Cardiac patients should also be cautious as the fine particle matter in the air is so fine that it can pass far into the lungs and into the blood, she said "But to us, anyone under 18 is in a sensitive group," Kelly-Ortega said. "Their lungs are still developing."

The schools and day care centers use colored flags from the Asthma Coalition to warn students and teachers of air quality problems. An orange flag signifies unhealthy conditions for people in the sensitive group while a red one conveys unhealthy conditions for everyone.

The fire in the Los Padres National Forest and surrounding wilderness that ignited near Solvang on the Fourth of July was one of the largest wildfire in modern California history. Its smoke blanketed parts of four counties -- Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Kern, triggering on-and-off health alerts since early July.

The wildfire that started May 5 in the middle of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia and which spread into Florida, caused similar health problems. The toxins in smoke caused the death of lots of birds.

The residents of San Joaquin Valley are being asked today to reduce or avoid activities that might cause air pollution for the next 24 hours. Hopefully, Mother Nature would aid their cause.