School districts on high alert, monitoring air quality amid wildfires

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- As the Garnet Fire continues to pain heavy successful the Sierra National Forest, aerial prime successful the Central Valley is deteriorating.

"The imaginable for that fume exists until the occurrence is out, and conditions lately are producing a batch much smoke, astir apt wherefore it's much disposable from outer imagery," said Heather Heinks with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

A presumption from Highway 168 shows heavy fume spreading done the foothills and crossed the vale floor.

Sierra Unified School District has been pursuing strict protocols since Monday.

"We person pulled kids indoors conscionable astir each time this week," said Superintendent Lori Grace. "Yesterday it was truthful bad, we were canceling everything - contests extracurricular and each of that."

Grace checks the aerial prime scale each greeting and aggregate times passim the day. She said this week has been challenging.

"It was either orange, creeping into reddish astatine portions, oregon similar Wednesday was successful the yellow," she said.

Making speedy adjustments is key, Grace added. "We conscionable support our students' information and wellness astatine the forefront astatine each times."

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District works intimately with schoolhouse districts crossed the region.

"We usher them connected the activities they should beryllium taking and however strenuous oregon however agelong it could hap depending connected the level of aerial prime outside," Heinks said.

Air prime is expected to worsen into Labor Day weekend, and families are advised to set their plans oregon bounds clip outdoors.

"If you've got outdoor activities implicit the weekend, wage attraction to aerial quality, that fume is hanging out," Heinks said.

For quality updates, travel Elisa Navarro connected Facebook, X and Instagram.