Fresno’s air quality potentially dangerous as California wildfires rage. Here’s the latest

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District updated an Air Quality Alert to run through Monday at 5 p.m. for much of the valley, including Fresno Madera, Merced, Kings, Tulare, and Stanislaus counties.

At the start of the weekend, the agency had issued a warning on the potentially harmful and long-lasting impacts of smoke and exposure to particle pollution stemming from wildfires burning in Northern California.

AirNow and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District forecast air quality in Fresno on Sunday to reach unhealthy levels, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. It is recommended that those with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teens reduce exposure by avoiding strenuous outdoor activities or keeping outdoor activities short.

Valley residents can visit the District’s Wildfire Information Page for details on wildfires impacting the area. They can also visit the district website or call the office in Fresno at 559-230-6000.

The Dixie Fire burning above the Cresta Dam, Feather River Canyon in Plumas County continued to char acres overnight. It had burned 463,477 acres, according to a Sunday morning update from Cal Fire and Lassen National Forest officials, and 21% of the perimeter of the fire is contained.

Fire officials have an estimated date of containment as Aug. 20. The fire started on July 13. But in reaching 463,477 acres, the Dixie Fire moved past the Mendocino Complex Fire in 2018 and is now the second-largest ever in California, trailing only the August Complex Fire from last August, which burned 1,032,648 acres.

Six of the top seven largest wildfires in the state, including the Creek Fire, have occurred in the past 12 months.