Air Quality

Air quality will be unhealthy tomorrow for everyone in the east San Fernando Valley, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Firefighters increased containment Sunday to 65% for the 114,103-acre Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest, which has burned for nearly three weeks and threatened communities in the Antelope Valley and foothills of the San Gabriel Valley.

Fire-weary California prepared Saturday for a new siege of hot, dry weather with potentially strong winds that could cause power lines to arc and spark new blazes in parched vegetation that’s ready to burn.

Some evacuation warnings were lifted and repopulation efforts were underway Friday as firefighters attained 55% containment of the 113,986-acre Bobcat Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest, according to fire officials.

Air quality on Thursday will be unhealthy for a widespread part of Southern California near the Bobcat Fire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains.

It hasn’t been too long since wildfires covered our county with a dreary haze for more than a week, turning the sky gray and turning sunsets orange and red. But even though the sky’s back to blue, you could still be breathing that bad air where you least expect it. Mike Reif has worked as a service tech with...

Due to three major wildfires burning across Southern California, the South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a smoke advisory for the region into Monday, with parts of Southern California having unhealthy air quality. The growing Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest has grown to nearly 100,000 acres, while the El Dorado Fire continues to burn in Yucaipa and…

A smoke advisory was extended through Sunday afternoon for eastern Riverside County, including the Coachella Valley and the San Gorgonio Pass as several major wildfires burn across Southern California. According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, satellite and webcam imagery of the fires showed they were producing “substantial amounts of smoke” Saturday morning. The El Dorado Fire was…

Wind can carry smoke and ash form Southern California’s wildfires for miles, creating a health hazard that can affect the entire region. It’s important to know the potential health effects. Smoke from wildfires contains small particles that can cause burning eyes, runny nose, sore throat, headaches and illnesses (i.e, bronchitis). Older adults, children, pregnant women and those with underlying...

Southern California’s awful air quality is finally showing signs of improvement. Air quality maps showed better conditions early Thursday into Friday, with a large swath of moderate air quality for Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Unhealthy levels are still reported near the Bobcat Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, but skies filled with smoke earlier this week appeared to...

A ridge of high pressure has been a troublemaker. David Biggar has the forecast for Thursday Sept. 17, 2020.

People in the Bay Area were likely breathing a litter easier Wednesday morning as air quality improved thanks to an offshore weather system pushing wildfire smoke out of the region.

As the Bobcat Fire continued to spew smoke and ash into the air from the Angeles National Forest, regulators extended a smoke advisory for another day Tuesday across Los Angeles County. The South Coast Air Quality Management District said air quality would be unhealthy through Wednesday in nearly the entire county, even the coastal areas. “It is difficult to tell where smoke, ash...

Many Southern Californians have begun another week breathing unhealthy air, thanks to the ongoing wildfires. A haze has blanketed the region for a week as air quality is a big issue for the second straight week. It has resulted in the closures of LA County parks. The poor air quality closed several COVID-19 testing sites over the weekend, most of…

A haze remains hanging over Southern California for a second week. Ted Chen reports for the NBC4 News on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020.

“If you are exposed for 12 hours of smoke in the air, then that is like 12 hours of continued smoking,” says Dr. Zab Mosenifar, a critical care pulmonologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

The ongoing poor air quality has people in the Bay Area looking for relief, including repairing or installing in-home air filtration units – if they can be found.

Restaurants, many of which are operating outdoors only, are getting hit again as smoke from the fires makes the outside air difficult to breathe. Michelle Valles reports for Today in LA weekend Sept. 12, 2020.

A smoke advisory is in effect Saturday in most of Los Angeles County and parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties due to the Bobcat Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest that has blackened nearly 30,000 acres and remains only 6% contained.