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A blaze of smoke from forest fires obscures Embarcadero on Thursday November 15, 2018 in San Francisco. Recurring forest fires are raising the alarm of medical experts as to the potentially major health consequences. Dozens of schools in the Bay Area have canceled classes because of the smoke. (Photo AP / Eric Risberg)
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A blaze of smoke from forest fires obscures Embarcadero on Thursday November 15, 2018 in San Francisco. Recurring forest fires are raising the alarm of medical experts as to the potentially major health consequences. dozens
… more
Photo: Eric Risberg / Associated Press
A blaze of smoke from forest fires obscures Embarcadero on Thursday November 15, 2018 in San Francisco. Recurring forest fires are raising the alarm of medical experts as to the potentially major health consequences. Dozens of schools in the Bay Area have canceled classes because of the smoke. (Photo AP / Eric Risberg)
less
A blaze of smoke from forest fires obscures Embarcadero on Thursday November 15, 2018 in San Francisco. Recurring forest fires are raising the alarm of medical experts as to the potentially major health consequences. dozens
… more
Photo: Eric Risberg / Associated Press
The air quality in the Bay Area has deteriorated to even more unhealthy levels since campfire smoke settled in the area on Thursday, pushing dozens of districts to close their doors for the rest of the week.
All public schools in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Marin counties canceled Friday classes due to poor air quality. Schools in Santa Clara County will remain open, but cancel outdoor activities or move them indoors.
In Napa County, the unified school district of Napa Valley was closing. In San Mateo County, the decision to close schools was taken school by school and posted on the county's education website. In Sonoma, all public schools were closed on Thursday and the decision to close Friday was to be made at 5 am
"We understand that closing schools places a burden on some of our families. We have carefully considered this decision, "San Francisco Superintendent Vincent Matthews said in a statement. "Many staff and families in the city have said that indoor air quality has deteriorated over the week and we want to make sure our staff and students work and learn in healthy conditions. "
Earlier Thursday, the National Weather Service released a forecast that predicts that smoke will persist in the region next week.
Data from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District indicate that San Francisco and parts of East Bay have changed from "red" to "purple", indicating that the particles could affect the breathing conditions of all residents.
The University of San Francisco closed its three northern California campuses Thursday afternoon and City College of San Francisco officials announced the campus closure at 3:30 pm. Thursday.
On Wednesday, California State University, East Bay, San Francisco State University and San Jose State University issued course cancellation statements.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of San Francisco also announced Thursday afternoon that it would remove all cable cars from service because of poor air quality. Bus shuttles will replace these lines.
Officials warned residents to stay indoors and those who go outside should wear an N95 mask.
The city has created a map of filtered air shelters, including branches of the San Francisco Public Library and Westfield San Francisco Center.
A "Spare-the-Air" alert warning residents not to burn wood has been extended until Tuesday. Offenders could be fined $ 500.
Ashley McBride and Gwendolyn Wu are editors of the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] and [email protected] Twitter: @ashleynmcb @gwendolynawu
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