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Hundreds of miles away from forest fires that devastated California and killed dozens of people, a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the bay, usually picturesque, in a dystopian mist.
While the camp fire in northern California claims its place among the most destructive flames in the state's history, the heavy smoke that emerges has created a ghost town in full share, projecting a worrying glow on a region traditionally celebrated for its transparency. quality of the air.
The experts warned residents Monday that while the campfire was raging, the smoke should continue to rage until the end of the week, making breathing difficult and unhealthy to stay at home. 39, outside for long periods.
"What we are telling people, is that the best thing to do is to be inside," said Walter Wallace, spokesman for the District's Quality Management District. air in the Bay Area area.
Many have listened to this advice since the smoke began to enter the area early Friday, adding to the apocalyptic sensation caused by the haze. Playgrounds and usually busy parks were abandoned in the sunlight, filtered through a smog that tinted it in weird sepia tones. Some of those who wandered out walked around with breathing masks, like extras in a horror movie about a deadly virus.
"It's Veterans Day!" Excludes Monday Alt. "People should be in school, at work, have fun, enjoy the time."
Altwarg, general manager of Markus Supply Hardware in Oakland, had spent the weekend facing a sudden strong demand for face masks in his store. "We sold everything we had on Saturday," he said.
A team buying the masks in bulk was Oakland Mask, a group of improvised volunteers gathered to distribute N95 particle-quality masks to the homeless of East Bay. J Redwoods, one of the founders of the group, told public health experts that they needed to stay at home, but there was more to worry about for those who do not have this option.
"It's a pretty simple need," said Redwoods. "People need to breathe. Let's help people breathe. "
In San Francisco, the city's homelessness team was conducting well-being visits to homeless sites, providing water, masks, and transportation for shelter. 'other places to air filtered, said Linda Acosta, spokesman for the Department of Public Health. On Friday, the main branch of the public library remained open later "for members of the public seeking a respite from the outside."
Acosta said the public hospital had received "slightly elevated respiratory visits" over the weekend, but nothing too important. She thinks that the Tubbs Fire that ravaged the wine region last fall and caused a similar cloud of smoke over the Bay Area prepared residents at the campfire caused by the smoke.
"Unfortunately, with such incidents, we take note of them," said Acosta. "San Francisco, we were so lucky to have such a pure air. At first it was a shock, but we are now learning to cope with what many people have had to face for a long time. "
Wallace explained that the reason why the air is so bad, is because the smoke from the fire had created a layer of inversion over the bay, basically a cover that "keeps all the air close to the ground".
"Rather than the smoke being aloft, high in the air does not affect us and is really more of a visual effect, it is trapped on the ground," he said. "We can smell smoke and it affects us because we breathe these negative particles."
And unfortunately, especially as the campfire continues to rage, it may be a while before the area gets a break.
"We will not see any kind of rain in the near future and we expect the winds to be light," Wallace said. "We will not see fresh air that will eliminate bad air."
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