The sky was clear over Los Angeleson Tuesday, a welcome respite after acrid smoke from wildfires choked the region last week.
In Santa Monica’s waterfront Palisades Park, the air was fresh enough for people to jog.
Air quality, measured on a scale from good to hazardous, was good to moderate on Monday and mostly good across Los Angeles County on Tuesday, according to data from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. A smoke advisory issued by the agency expired at 10 p.m. Sunday. Similar conditions are expected Wednesday, as long as wildfires do not flare up again and no new blazes break out.
Los Angeles residents might be breathing easier when they step outside, but Dr. Scott Epstein, the air quality assessment manager for the Air Quality Management District, warned that conditions can suddenly change and that windblown dust and ash continue to be concerns. The lightest of winds can pick up the ash from burned areas and carry it across the county.
“We know that this ash has a lot of toxic, carcinogenic material in it,” Dr. Epstein said. “The instruments that typically measure air quality don’t measure ash. However, it tends to be big enough to be able to see with the naked eye.”
A Los Angeles County Public Health Department advisory about windblown ash and dust is in effect through 7 p.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service expects winds to pick up again, with the strongest gusts likely Wednesday morning and afternoon in Ventura and northern Los Angeles Counties. An N95 or P100 mask can help provide protection from the ash, according to health officials.
The Palisades and Eaton fires, the biggest in the region, were no longer pumping out massive amounts of smoke on Tuesday. The strong winds that were forecast to develop Monday night into Tuesday morning and further spread the two fires never arrived. That enabled firefighters to put out actively burning sections and keep addressing the remaining hot spots, an effort that will continue for days.
“We have smoldering hot material within the burn perimeter, but there’s no active fire that’s producing smoke,” said Brian Newman, who analyzes blazes for Cal Fire. “We’re in a slow, creeping, minimal-active burning phase.”
Dr. Epstein said that if people step outside and smell smoke, it is best to go back inside and close their windows, and wear a mask when outdoors. They can also monitor air quality conditions on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.
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