Don’t expect better breathing conditions in Fresno area before Thursday, air district warns

Poor air quality caused by wildfires in and near Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will continue to plague the San Joaquin Valley through Thursday, officials from the local air pollution control district warned Monday afternoon.

And they continued to caution residents to stay indoors as much as possible.

The air quality alert, originally issued early Monday, set an alert through 11 a.m. for the day, but it was extended to 11 a.m. Thursday as smoke continued to pour into the Valley. The alert impacts the region ranging from Stockton to Bakersfield as the Windy Fire and KNP Complex Fire continued to rage.

Most concerning for residents are high levels of fine particles of particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in width, which can cause serious health problems and aggravate lung disease.

The National Weather Service in Hanford predicted no immediate relief from the toxic air in its Monday forecast, offering only the possibility of a low pressure front moving into the southern area of the region with light showers beginning Tuesday.

Air district officials urged residents to try and stay in filtered, air-conditioned environments with windows closed, and also warned that common cloth and paper masks used as a precaution against COVID-19 infections might not be sufficient against wildfire smoke. Those who needed to be outside would likely need N95-quality masks.

This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 8:44 AM.