Sonoma County’s health officer issued an advisory Tuesday urging residents to take steps to protect their health as surrounding wildfires impact local air quality.
The Sonoma Valley and Napa regions have been hit the hardest by poor air quality, said Sheri Cardo, spokesperson for the Department of Health. County officials suspect the poor air quality is due to smoke Fire in Colusa County flowing toward Sonoma County, Cardo added.
In some areas between Sonoma and Santa Rosa, the air quality index has risen to more than 160, according to PurpleAir’s air quality map. Further south and west, in cities like Rohnert Park and Petaluma, air quality indices have remained satisfactory and below 50, according to the map.
Residents can also check air pollution levels and smoke in their neighborhood by visiting the EPA’s Fire and Smoke Map.
Sonoma County residents were advised to shelter in place, per health officer advice. To prevent poor indoor air quality, the health official suggested closing doors and windows, keeping indoor air cool and setting car and home air conditioning units to only recirculate air and not allow outside air to pass through.
The advisory instructed residents to limit prolonged exertion outdoors — especially older adults, pregnant individuals, children and those with heart or respiratory conditions.
It also advised residents to hydrate often and avoid activities that can worsen air pollution, such as burning wood, mowing the lawn, blowing leaves, driving, barbecuing and smoking.
The health official noted that some parts of Sonoma County are not as affected by poor air quality as others, but air quality across the county can fluctuate as local conditions influence air change.
There was also a local emergency declared Monday in Sonoma County in response to the Point Fire that burned nearly 3,000 acres northwest of Healdsburg. As of 6:40 a.m. Tuesday, the wildfire was 40% contained and remained at 1,207 acres, according to a social media post from Cal Fire. Cardo said officials suspect smoke from the Point Fire is not as responsible for the reduced air quality as the Site Fire in Colusa County.
According to a social media post from Cal Fire, the Site Fire, southeast of Stonyford, was at 25,000 acres as of 6:09 a.m.
