Smoke From California’s Largest Wildfire This Year Is Expected to Hit Bay Area on Tuesday

Smoke from California’s largest wildfire this year is expected to move into the Bay Area on Tuesday, prompting an air quality advisory from the Bay Area Air District.

The Gifford Fire is burning about 200 miles away in parts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, but air district spokesperson Aaron Richardson said southern winds overnight and into the morning brought a large plume over the Bay Area. That could result in smoky and hazy skies, and at higher elevations, the air district said the smell of smoke could be present.

“We’re not calling a full spare the air alert; we don’t think the impacts at ground level will be too bad,” Richardson said. “We might have some broader air quality, but we don’t expect federal health standards to be exceeded throughout the Bay Area.”

Though the advisory covers the entire Bay Area, Richardson said portions of the South Bay and the East Bay are especially expected to see the impacts of the smoke.

Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter and other harmful pollutants, according to the district, and exposure is unhealthy, “even for short periods of time.”

The smoke can irritate eyes, airways and sinuses, which could result in coughing and a scratchy throat. Children, older adults and those with respiratory illnesses are among those especially at risk from the effects of smoke.

Richardson said the air district doesn’t expect high concentrations of smoke at ground levels on Tuesday, but it is monitoring the situation to see whether the advisory will need to be extended into Wednesday.

Conditions can “change rapidly,” and knowing the amount of smoke at ground levels as a result of the wildfire is hard to predict, according to the district.

Generally, Richardson said, when wildfire smoke is affecting the region, residents should stay inside with windows and doors closed. If not possible, residents can also reduce smoke exposure by setting their car systems to recirculate, which prevents outside air from getting inside.

Bay Area residents can monitor real-time smoke pollution levels in their area on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s online fire and smoke map. The California Air Resources Board also offers a map of clean air centers with filtered air and good ventilation on its website.

The Gifford Fire has grown to 122,065 acres since it started Aug. 1, according to Cal Fire. The wildfire, the largest in the state this year, is 33% contained so far.

More than 4,800 personnel have been deployed to respond to the blaze, Cal Fire said. The California Office of Emergency Services said that 19 fire agencies from the Bay Area — including those from the San Francisco and Oakland fire departments — are assisting other first responders with managing the fire.