Although Orange County is NOT under a smoke advisory at this
time, many areas are being impacted by smoke from the Etiwanda Fire. For
more information, please see the Press Release from the SCAQMD below:
April 30, 2014
PRESS RELEASE -
Unhealthful Air Quality Forecast due to the
Etiwanda Fire Burning near Rancho Cucamonga
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a
smoke advisory today for portions of western San Bernardino and Riverside
counties and eastern Los Angeles County. Air quality may reach the Unhealthy
range or higher in these areas due to the Etiwanda Fire.
Smoke production from the fire has been high at times with
winds of 70 mph to 80 mph reported. Cities that may experience Unhealthy air
quality include: Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Ontario, Chino, Chino Hills,
Riverside, Norco and Corona. Cities in the Pomona/Walnut Valley including
Diamond Bar, Walnut, Pomona, San Dimas, La Verne and Claremont may also
experience Unhealthy air quality levels.
All individuals are urged to exercise caution and avoid
unnecessary outdoor activities in any area directly impacted by smoke.
This includes areas where residents can see or smell smoke.
In any area impacted by smoke:
Everyone should avoid any vigorous outdoor or indoor
exertion; people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children
should remain indoors. Keep windows and doors closed or seek alternate
shelter. Run your air conditioner if you have one. Do not use a
swamp cooler or whole-house fan to prevent bringing additional smoke
inside. To avoid worsening the health effects of wildfire smoke, don’t
use indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances, including fireplaces.
For anyone not able to avoid a smoky area, a special N95 or
P100 respirator mask worn properly may help protect against the fine particles
in smoke. Paper or surgical masks do not protect the wearer from
smoke. To learn more on how to properly wear a special respirator mask
and help protect from wildfire smoke, go to
http://www.arb.ca.gov/videos/impacts_of_smoke.htm
and http://www.arb.ca.gov/carpa/toolkit/data-to-mes/wildfire-smoke-guide.pdf.
To subscribe to air quality alerts, advisories and forecasts
by e-mail, go to AirAlerts.org.
To view current air quality conditions by region in an
interactive map, see http://www3.aqmd.gov/webappl/gisaqi2/home.aspx.
For more tips on avoiding health impacts from smoke, see http://www.aqmd.gov/ej/CAC/wildfire_safety_tips.htm
on SCAQMD’s website.
SCAQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County
and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.