Walnut Creek residents should keep windows shut through at least Friday, Aug. 7. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Wednesday morning extended its wildfire smoke advisory through Friday after initially issuing it Tuesday, Aug. 4, to cover only Tuesday and Wednesday.
The reason: changing conditions and unpredictable ground-level smoke from multiple uncontained wildfires burning in Oregon and Washington.
The original advisory warned of hazy skies and the smell of smoke drifting into the Bay Area from Pacific Northwest fires. The BAAQMD's website now confirms smoke is expected to impact Bay Area air quality on Thursday, though pollution levels are not expected to exceed the EPA's national 24-hour health standard. No Spare the Air Alert is in effect.
This marks the second smoke-related air quality action affecting the Walnut Creek area in less than a week. A Spare the Air Alert banning wood-burning was in effect through Saturday, Aug. 1, due to the Woodside Fire in Sonoma County.
The district said wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter and other harmful pollutants, and that exposure is unhealthy even for short periods. Older adults, children and people with respiratory illnesses including asthma, emphysema or COPD are especially vulnerable and should take extra precautions.
What's driving the smoke
The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center reports dozens of large wildfires burning in Washington and Oregon in what CBS News described as one of the worst fire seasons in decades. Three fast-moving fires near Spokane, Washington's second-largest city, have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced roughly 67,000 people under evacuation orders. Authorities arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with setting the largest of the three blazes.
Heat compounds the risk
The smoke advisory coincides with a heat wave heading for the East Bay. The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures in the mid-90s to near 105 degrees Thursday through Saturday, with Concord already recording a high of 95 degrees on Tuesday, according to the Mercury News. That heat makes the BAAQMD's standard advice to stay indoors with windows closed more difficult for residents without air conditioning.
How to protect yourself
The BAAQMD recommends:
- Stay inside with windows and doors closed until smoke subsides, if temperatures allow.
- Set car vent systems to recirculate to keep outside air from entering.
- Use indoor air filtration, or visit a location with filtered air such as a library or mall.
- Check real-time air quality at fire.airnow.gov.
The Walnut Creek School District has installed MERV 13 filters in all its facilities, which the district says effectively remove PM2.5 smoke particles.
The BAAQMD has not indicated whether the advisory could be extended again beyond Friday. The agency said it will continue monitoring conditions throughout the Bay Area.
