Because of the heavy smoke being produced by the two major wildfires in Southern California, the Bobcat Fire and the El Dorado Fire, City Health Officer Anissa Davis warns Long Beach residents about potential unhealthy air quality, according to a press release from the City.
“Smoke and ash rising into the atmosphere may be visible over portions of Long Beach and surrounding areas, potentially creating unhealthy conditions,” the press release said.
Everyone is urged to exercise caution and avoid any unnecessary outdoor activities in areas directly impacted by smoke and ash, including areas where residents can see or smell smoke.
The following precautions should be taken in areas impacted by smoke:
•Avoid any vigorous outdoor or indoor exertion.
•Remain indoors, especially for individuals with respiratory or heart disease, pregnant women, older adults and children.
•Keep windows and doors closed or seek alternate shelter.
•Run your air conditioner if you have one.
•Change the standard air-conditioner filter to a medium or high-efficiency filter.
•If you have a wall-unit or window-unit air conditioner, set it to “re-circulate.”
•Avoid the use of a swamp cooler or whole-house fan to prevent bringing additional smoke inside, if possible.
•Avoid indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances, including fireplaces, to avoid worsening the health effects of wildfire smoke.
The Bobcat Fire started on Sunday and is currently burning north of Azusa and Glendora in the Angeles National Forest, while the El Dorado Fire is burning in the San Bernardino Mountains near Yucaipa.
For more detailed information about air quality related to the wildfires, visit the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s website at aqmd.gov or view a map of local real-time air quality data. If you would like to sign up for air quality forecasts, subscribe by visiting airalerts.org.
