Fires, Smoke Stifle Labor Day Weekend
Castro Valley is seemingly a long way from the Sierra Nevada, but wildfires there have a local impact as air quality here worsened and Alameda County firefighters raced to assist there.
Some two dozen Alameda County firefighters joined crews from all over the state in the fight to save South Lake Tahoe from the Caldor fire, and a fresh crew of firefighters relieved the original crew this past Saturday.
“We stand ready to help not only our immediate community stay safe, but to protect the larger community as well,” said Alameda County Fire Department spokesperson Brian Centoni.
“We already see lots of support from the families of the fire area, but we have to applaud our own firefighters’ families for the support and love they give us that makes our efforts possible,” Centoni continued.
Centoni spoke from the Lake Tahoe fire lines, literally putting out fires himself while helping keep the community informed about the firefighters’ work.
Castro Valley may have avoided its own wildfire last Thursday (see video) when Alameda County crews responded to a shop that had caught fire in the 30000 block of Palomares Road. It had already spread to nearby vegetation in the wooded area, but firefighters were able to extinguish it quickly and avoid any further spread.
There were no injuries to residents or firefighters, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
With air dirtied from distant and nearby fires, health and air-quality officials have expressed relief that the air quality has gotten no worse than “moderate” on the official scale.
It’s less favorable than “good,” the best rating, but brief exposures are not believed to be harmful to most people, said Tina Landis, spokesperson for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Extended exposure to “moderate” air quality might be a different matter, though, Landis said, especially for those at greater risk from bad air.
We’ve already breathed “moderate” air for days, and we might breathe it for the immediate future, she said.
Landis suggested that people take some further precautions against bad air, especially those whose age or medical conditions might put them at greater risk.
She suggested staying indoors and perhaps using air purifiers there. If there is only one air purifier and it’s fairly small, one room can serve as the “clean room” for periodic visits or for extended use, Landis said.
“Unfortunately, we’re only able to forecast air quality a few days into the future, so keep checking your local air quality,” Landis advised. She recommends the EPA Fire and Smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov
An air quality alert had been extended through the Labor Day weekend, with a Spare the Air Day declared yesterday as well as Sunday.