Poor air quality generated by SoCal wildfires expected through at least the weekend
Southern California will continue to see a dense layer of smoke and poor air quality through at least the weekend as wildfires continue to burn across the region.
Those affected are not just in the fire zones. Smoke particles have spread far and wide across the region, from the San Fernando Valley all the way to the east San Gabriel Valley.
The smoke-heavy air has been generated mostly by two major blazes: the Bobcat Fire in the foothills above Monrovia and Azusa and the El Dorado Fire in the San Bernardino mountains near Yucaipa, resuling in the worst air quality in the region in nearly 30 years.
Wildfire smoke can sometimes include toxic substances from burning buildings so health officials say vulnerable individuals, including those with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases, should stay inside as much as possible.
"We're still seeing some significant air pollution impacts from these fires. Just today we had either unhealthy and up to hazardous levels of air pollution because of the smoke from these fires," said Jo Kay Ghosh with the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
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Still, some people were found outside on Friday.
"I was with a friend this morning who was complaining of a sore throat. But, I don't know, I'm just kind of bull-headed about it and I want to keep aerobicizing. I'm trying to protect myself with a mask," Allan Wasserman who was working out near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Those in the thick of it have been doing what they can to feel safe.
"It's kept me from exercising, I'll tell you that. Going outside has been too tough. It worked for the first few days but you need goggles now. It's not just the breathing, it's the eyes," one man told Eyewitness News.
The air quality has prompted the closure of the following parks through the weekend:
Eaton Canyon Natural Area
Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area
Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park
Lario Staging Area
Marshall Canyon Regional Park and Nursery
Peck Road Water Conservation Park
San Dimas Canyon Natural Area
Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
A handful of COVID-19 testing sites in Los Angeles County also had to be closed through the weekend.
East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park
Pomona Fairplex Gate 17
San Gabriel Valley Airport in El Monte
Montebello Civic Center
A smoke advisory has been extended through Saturday, but the unhealthy air quality could linger longer than that.
California fire map
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