Even though Sunday was supposed to be a great, warm, sunny summer day, you may want to stay indoors and avoid strenuous activity to protect your health from the smoke and ash still in the air across the Southland due to the giant 20,000-acre blaze in Santa Clarita.
An official smoke advisory was in effect at least through Sunday night, even though the intense brownish-gray smoke filling the sky Saturday had become a bit less dramatic by the end of the weekend.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued the advisory for the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita valleys, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Pomona/Walnut Valley and the central Los Angeles area.
The agency said those areas are susceptible to direct smoke impact and unhealthy air quality, and issued the following recommendations:
–Avoid strenuous activity, indoors or outdoors.
–Those with respiratory ailments or heart disease, children and the elderly are advised to stay indoors.
–Keep windows and doors closed.
–Run your air conditioner, but keep the fresh intake closed and the filter clean, to avoid bringing additional smoke inside.
–Don’t use swamp coolers to whole-house fans, to avoid bringing smoke inside.
–Don’t use wood-burning fireplaces or appliances.
The fire, which has burned at least 20,000 acres, broke out at 2:10 p.m. Friday near Sand Canyon Road along the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway. The blaze was 10 percent contained Sunday morning as about 2,000 firefighters battle the flames from the ground and air, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Residents are reporting smoke-filled air and falling ash in many parts of the greater Los Angeles area.
The blaze was fueled by triple-digit temperatures along with gusty winds on Friday, and smoke covered the skies in much of Los Angeles County through the weekend.
—City News Service