Air quality regulators have issued an ash advisory for most of Southern California as crews try to contain the Mountain Fire in Ventura County.
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the advisory applies to Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Regulators say satellite and webcam images indicate widespread dust reaching as far as the Coachella Valley and covering most of the South Coast Air Basin. AQMD officials said the Santa Ana winds responsible for the fast-growing Mountain Fire also caused the push of dust and ash across the region.
The fire started when heavy winds lashed much of Southern California, prompting it National Weather Service officials will issue red flag warnings. In this specific case, they have issued a ‘Particularly dangerous situation’ warning due to the threat posed by ‘a persistent or threatening firefighting pattern’.
Meteorologists monitored some wind gusts that reached more than 60 miles per hour as the fire burned.
The advice will last at least until Thursday at 2 p.m. AQMD believes the wind gusts and fire caused air quality to drop to unhealthy or worse levels immediately after the fire. It may improve overnight and drop to unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Conditions may deteriorate on Thursday, with levels rising to moderate.
The AQMD recommended that residents limit their time outdoors and avoid vigorous physical activity. They asked Southern Californians not to use leaf blowers and to drive slower on unpaved roads to avoid spewing more debris into the air.
