Serene foothill views cut off by the smoke

AUBURN – The 17-mile stretch between Auburn and Foresthill is known for views that are expansive and serene – miles upon miles of century-old ponderosa pine, cedar and Douglas fir crammed into a ravine carved out by the north fork of the American River as it gushes toward Sacramento.

But not Tuesday.

What was serene had become suffocating. And that postcard view was gray and white and grim, as a thick layer of smoke hovered throughout the day.

Locals in Foresthill talk about recent mornings when they could barely see across the street, so dense was the smoke. It's been that way since June 21 when a torrent of lightning sparked dozens of fires in the Tahoe National Forest and beyond.

The air quality in Foresthill and much of Placer County was considered very unhealthy Tuesday as firetrucks whisked past and a helicopter dropped retardant on the nearby 2,300-acre Westville fire.

Officials say Placer County has had some of the worst air in the region, owing to an unfortunate combination of geography, winds and fire locations.

In recent years of monitoring air quality, "this is the worst that we've ever seen it," said Margie Koltun of the Placer County Air Pollution Control District.

The changing elevations make Placer County a scenic trap for stale air. "Within those mountains you have changing terrain – little basins, gullies, the I-80 corridor," said Heather Kuklo, a district air quality specialist.

Mornings are smoky because at night the smoke settles, "just like heavier gasses and molecules,"she said.

The poor air is particularly problematic for the aged, but neither the heat nor the smoke was slowing down Jim McMahan, who has seen plenty in his 86 years and has an opinion about everything.

In 1950, as owner of Mac's TV, he sold the first Packard Bell televisions in town – 10-inch sets costing $500 – and is responsible for every antenna affixed to local rooftops. For years, he grew and sold Christmas trees on the 40 acres behind his home.

Tuesday, he was out early watering a row of saplings he, his wife, Barbara, and two others planted for a roadside beautification project near the center of town. He's too old and tough to fret over bad air.

"We're just living in it. That's all we can do," McMahan said.

Ten miles away, the Westville fire continued to burn and was only 15 percent contained. The temperature was climbing quickly to 100 degrees or more.

"They needed to burn," McMahan said, shaking his head. "The Forest Service didn't take care of them, so Mother Nature did. Those folks are sitting back there in Washington in their shirts and ties and they don't know nothing about managing forests or fighting fires."

McMahan was referring to the scrub brush and small trees that have not been thinned for years, leaving the forests vulnerable to fires during times of drought.

The good news: While the fires have roared through the woods and devoured acres of brush and newer growth, the flames have largely spared the mature trees, many of which are 100 to 150 years old, according to Jane LaBoa, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service.

The bad: We're in the middle of a heat wave that will only exacerbate the already bad air from the fires. The combination is like sitting next to the smokestack of an old locomotive.

McMahan, who vividly remembers the area's last major fire in 1960, has never seen the likes of the lightning that exploded overhead on June 21.

"It was one strike after another," he said.

Fearing the worst that day, McMahan and others promptly drove to a lookout on the ridge and "and we saw five fires start up on the other side (of the ravine) and two fires on our side. I thought we might lose the whole town … The last big fire was when 600,000 acres burned for 17 miles. It's had all this time to grow back."

Foresthill was experiencing something of a breather Tuesday. You could actually see the blue sky for a time.

While McMahan tended to the young trees, his wife was home teaching a niece and nephew how to make pickled relish. For years, she ran Barb's Beauty Box right next to Mac's TV.

Down Foresthill Road toward Auburn, the town was making due with the sub-par air and a massive blanket of smoke.

In 2003, the city council officially proclaimed Auburn the "endurance capital of the world," a title that touts its extreme athletic events, including the famed 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, which was canceled last month for the first time since its founding in 1974 over concern about fires and air quality.

Though most people were shying away from rigorous outdoor activity, Scott Reitz and Daniella King, friends from Elk Grove, weren't about to cancel their two-hour mountain bike ride.

The smoke? "We're pretty much ignoring it," said King, 22, with a smile. "It'll be like camping – but while riding a bike."

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• Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099. The Bee's Maddalena Jackson contributed to this report.