Wildfires causing unhealthy air in northern San Luis Obispo County
Three major wildfires burning in and around San Luis Obispo County are causing unhealthy air quality conditions through much of the North County, prompting county officials to add more monitoring stations and put together guidelines for local schools to use to protect students.
Skies are hazy and fine particulate concentrations are higher than normal because of the transported smoke from the fires. The 43,633-acre Chimney Fire burning near Nacimiento Lake is causing most of the air quality impacts, said Gary Arcemont, an air quality specialist with the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District.
“The biggest impacts are right around the fire and in Paso Robles, and particularly Heritage Ranch,” he said. “Even San Luis Obispo has had air quality impacts, as well.”
The 90,602-acre Soberanes Fire in Big Sur and the 31,505-acre Rey Fire north of Santa Barbara could also cause smoky conditions in San Luis Obispo County.
“These smoky conditions are going to be with us for awhile,” county air pollution control officer Larry Allen said.
Shifting winds and fire conditions make it difficult to predict which areas of the county will be most heavily impacted by smoke, Allen said. Both coastal and inland areas have been heavily impacted at different times and days when smoke settles near the ground.
Generally, smoky conditions are worse when the fire is most active from about 3 p.m. to 4 a.m., the air district said.
To better gauge the air quality impacts of the Chimney Fire, the air district has put out temporary air quality monitoring stations at Cappy Culver Elementary School in Heritage Ranch, Lillian Larsen Elementary School in San Miguel and the Cal Fire station in Cambria. Paso Robles and Atascadero also have air quality monitoring stations.
The air district has received numerous requests from North County schools about what precautions to take to reduce students’ exposure to smoke.
“We are developing a guide for schools in order to give consistent advice,” Allen said. That guide should be available at www.slocleanair.org within the next few days.
According to the California Air Resources Board, dirty air is responsible for slowing down the lung function growth rate of children by up to 10 percent. Research also found that children who live in the smoggier parts of Southern California experience slower lung growth than those who breathe cleaner air.
Most North County communities have an air quality index rating of moderate, which means sensitive people should take precautions to minimize their exposure to smoke. These conditions are expected to last through at least Tuesday.
David Sneed: 805-781-7930
This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Wildfires causing unhealthy air in northern San Luis Obispo County."