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By Joe Edwards
Reporter
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A regional air quality alert has been issued for parts of Southern California as two fires continue to burn in Riverside County, prompting officials to warn thousands of residents to remain indoors to avoid exposure to unhealthy smoke levels.
Why It Matters
In January, wildfires in California resulted in the deaths of at least two dozen people and displaced thousands.
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"Particles in wildfire smoke can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks and difficulty breathing," the alert warned.
"Everyone can be affected, but people with lung or heart disease, older adults, people who are pregnant, children, and those who spend a lot of time outdoors are at greater risk."
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What To Know
The Wolf fire, which broke out at about 3 p.m. Sunday in the area of Old Banning Idyllwild Road and the Wolfskill Truck Trail south of the city of Banning, led to evacuation orders being issued for surrounding areas.
According to a map from Watch Duty—a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization run by volunteers—the Wolf fire has burned more than 1,164 acres of land as of early Monday morning.
Meanwhile, the Mindy fire, which also started on Sunday, had burned about 100 acres near Decoursey Road in Riverside County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The National Weather Service on Sunday posted an alert warning of elevated levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the atmosphere because of wildfire smoke. The alert applies to the Banning Pass, San Jacinto Mountains, Lake Riverside area, Cahuilla Reservation and Anza area.
Affected cities included Idyllwild-Pine Cove, Indio, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Coachella.
Residents in affected areas were advised to remain indoors with windows and doors closed, avoid intense outdoor physical activity, and avoid other sources of pollution such as fireplaces, candles, incense and gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) said smoke from the Wolf fire was expected to most significantly affect areas close to and just north-northeast of the blaze, including the Banning Pass and San Jacinto Mountains.
Smoke from the Mindy fire was projected to affect areas near and north of the blaze through Monday, with the greatest impact expected around Lake Riverside and the Cahuilla Reservation.
What People Are Saying
Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department, on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "#WolfFIRE [UPDATE @9 p.m.] The fire continues to burn at a moderate rate in medium to heavy brush.
"Four night-flying helicopters and hundreds of firefighters will continue working throughout the night on containing the fire.
"Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place."
What Happens Next
At the time of writing, the air quality alert was in effect through 6 p.m. Monday.
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