Air quality advisory issued through Thursday due to wild fire smoke

From downtown San Francisco to Mt. Diablo, it was hard to see familiar landmarks due to haze. Thursday is expected to be an improvement, but still a concern. Officials say Wednesday was the 6th Spare the Air day of the year. While the alert does not extend into Thursday, there is still an air-quality advisory through Thursday.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued an air quality advisory through Thursday because of the continued impact of smoke from wildfires in Northern California and Oregon.

The air district had issued a Spare the Air alert for Wednesday due to temperatures nearing 100 in inland parts of the Bay Area that were forecast to combine with light winds, vehicle exhaust and the wildfire smoke to create unhealthy air quality in the region.

People around the Bay Area reported smelling smoke Wednesday from the fires and that could continue Thursday, but the pollutant levels are not expected to exceed federal health standards and there is no Spare the Air alert planned for Thursday, according to the air district.

Anyone who smells smoke is advised to stay inside with windows and doors closed, and to set their air conditioning units and car vent systems to re-circulate to stop outside air from coming inside.

People can check the latest air quality readings in the Bay Area at http://baaqmd.gov/highs.

Tina Landis, a spokesperson from BAQMD, responded to our comment that you couldn't see the sunset in San Francisco Wednesday night. The air was so hazy, you could barely make out the skyline.

"That's caused by the hight inland temperatures we're seeing as well as mixing with vehicle exhaust," Landis said.

Wednesday's Spare the Air alert was the sixth in a row, she said.

"It's probably the worst smoke impacts we've had this season from wildfires, so it's a combination of different pollutions we're experiencing," said Landis.

From downtown San Francisco to the East Bay, where views of Alcatraz Island were shrouded in haze, all the way to inland areas, looking out towards Livermore, the unhealthy air quality spanned across the Bay Area.

"I was actually going to Antioch this morning and I noticed there was this big haze. I didn't know if it was smoke," said Krystol Sanders of Walnut Creek.

Rocky Eastland of Phoenix said he noticed the haze too.

"On the plane coming in, flying in today, yes, like the smog. It's not clear," he said.

Doctors at John Muir Health in the East Bay said conditions can be dangerous for the elderly and those with breathing conditions.

"Our asthmatics, kids who tend to wheeze when they get viruses or exercise, all those individuals need to just be careful," said Dr. Russell Rodriguez, CMO and ED doctor. "If they start feeling short of breath, or like they're wheezing or tightness, or their usual medications aren't working, they should seek care," he said.

Ulises Soriano, a fitness coach at Hook'd Gym in Walnut Creek, said he was worried about his daughter.

"She was for example, coughing a lot today, maybe that's what it was," Soriano said.

Air district officials ask people to avoid driving if possible on Spare the Air days.

At the Concord BART station, some said they feel that it's important for people to switch to public transit.

"It seemed a little heavier with people on the train today," said Trisha Bertlow of Concord. "I think it's important for the air, the community, the earth."

The air district said the ozone levels are expected to decrease Thursday.

Meanwhile, PG&E said they are investigating to see if a large outage in San Francisco that affected 1,796 that started at around 7:50 p.m. and was restored by 9 p.m. and another in Walnut Creek that affected about 1,500 customers for about an hour starting at 6:55 p.m. were due to the heat.

KTVU's Jana Katsuyama contributed to this report.