Poor air quality prompts Sonoma school closures

As smoke from the raging Camp fire in Butte County continues to fill Sonoma County skies and taint air quality, officials announced all Sonoma County school districts would be closed Friday.

As of 7:45 a.m., a district spokeswoman announced all school districts in Sonoma County are closed either due to air quality concerns or for pre-scheduled staff development days.

Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College were also shut down Friday amid smoky conditions from the Camp fire. Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley announced their sites would be closed as well.

The City of Santa Rosa also announced that most of its facilities would be closed Friday in an attempt to safeguard the health and safety of staff and residents, according to a news release. Police and fire stations, transit operations facilities and the Laguna Treatment Plant will remain open.

All scheduled programming, public meetings, and facility rentals will be canceled. Public meetings will be rescheduled and city staff will contact those who planned to participate in programs and activities to schedule makeup dates, according to the statement.

A Spare the Air Alert was in place for the Bay Area through Friday because of the heavy smoke impacts, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management district.

The smoke is causing “very elevated levels” of particulate pollution in the region, and a high pressure system coupled with northeasterly winds are quickly pushing smoke into the air and trapping it close to the ground, according to a statement from the district.

Burning wood, including manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, indoors or outdoors, is not allowed.

“Air quality throughout the Bay Area and especially in the North Bay is being heavily impacted by smoke from the fire in Butte County and use of fireplaces ...will make air quality conditions worse,” Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District said in a statement Thursday night “To ensure we don’t add to the already smoke-filled air, it is critical to heed this Winter Spare the Air Alert by not burning wood and further contributing to the wildfire smoke in the Bay Area.”

The EPA rated the air quality in Santa Rosa Friday as unhealthy, advising those with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Saturday’s forecast showed moderate air quality in Santa Rosa.

The Camp fire, which ignited Thursday, has devastated 20,000 acres near Chico and promoted evacuations, according to Cal Fire. The fire is more than 100 miles away from Sonoma County. There were no active fires reported in Sonoma County Friday morning, a Redcom dispatcher said.

Check back for updates.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.