Wildfires causing unhealthy air in Northern California
Residents are warned to stay indoors because of the thick pall of smoke from more than 800 blazes that have scorched 76,000 acres.
SACRAMENTO — A thick pall of smoke continued to hang over much of Northern California on Tuesday as scores of lightning-sparked wildfires marched across 76,000 acres.
Air quality officials warned residents to stay indoors as the smoke from fires from Monterey County to the Oregon border obscured the sun. Regulators said it was the worst air to hit the region in years.
Despite the eerie conditions, firefighters continued to make headway against the fires, which began Saturday when a rare onslaught of dry lightning hit scattered spots all over Northern California, igniting more than 800 blazes.
Most of the fires were being fought away from populated areas, but a blaze near Big Sur destroyed or damaged 16 homes and two adjacent structures. The 8,500-acre fire is one of two bedeviling the Los Padres National Forest. A wildfire that started earlier this month has charred about 60,000 acres.
Meanwhile, firefighters were making progress against fires in Napa and Shasta counties, while blazes in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties have been fully contained.
eric.bailey@latimes.com
