LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Air quality conditions on Tuesday continued to worsen as firefighting efforts locally and in neighboring counties continued.
In Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks on Tuesday, firefighters continued to work steadily to contain the Sulphur fire, burning since early Monday morning.
Cal Fire said the fire has burned an estimated 2,500 acres between Clearlake Oaks and Clearlake, displacing thousands of residents.
Containment had grown to an estimated 10 percent as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
Elsewhere around the region, the Mendocino County Complex burning in Redwood and Pottery valleys has scorched 21,000 acres, while in Sonoma County the Nuns fire has burned 5,000 acres and the Pocket fire 1,200 acres, according to Cal Fire.
In Napa County, Cal Fire said the Tubbs fire has scorched 27,000 acres, the Atlas fire has blackened 25,000 acres, and the Partrick fire burned 1,000 acres.
Cal Fire so far has given no containment estimates on the Mendocino, Napa or Sonoma county incidents.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District said that air conditions on Tuesday were ranging between “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy.”
Across the county, a thick, stinging pall of gray smoke was hanging in the fall air.
The agency said the smoke impacts are due to the Sulphur fire and all of the major fire incidents in the neighboring counties.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart reported that the air quality alert he issued Tuesday was the result of the forecast for continued high levels of smoke and other air pollutants lingering in Lake County until conditions change.
Gearhart said the highest levels of smoke are expected to continue into Wednesday, when a wind shift is expected to help clear out the smoke.
Due to the smoky conditions, Gearhart urged people to use caution, avoid strenuous exercise and outdoor activity when possible and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
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Sulphur fire acreage holding steady; air quality in Lake County degrades further
- Elizabeth Larson
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