California fires make San Francisco air as bad as Beijing, leaving face masks in short supply
Face masks in short supply in the San Francisco area due to the fires
Smoke from the wildfires north of San Francisco have plunged air quality levels to the same unhealthy level as China’s notoriously polluted capital Beijing, sending people to emergency rooms and forcing schools to close and people to wear masks when they step outside.
The region has endured days of choking smoke since the fires began Sunday night and claimed at least 31 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. The smoke cast a dull haze over San Francisco’s scenic skyline, and poor visibility has led to numerous flight delays and cancellations at the city’s airport.
Air quality in most of the region Thursday and Friday was as bad as smog-choked Beijing, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
“We have unprecedented levels of smoke and particles in the air that we normally don’t see,” said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the district.
The air quality index for San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the area around the fires was predicted to hit 158, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, or nearly five times what’s considered safe.
That’s the same kinds of levels found in Beijing, which on Friday was measured at between 158 and 165 by the US embassy there.