Sacramento air quality takes a hit as large grass fire burns in rural Yolo County
Air quality in Sacramento has diminished Thursday while a large grass fire continues to burn near the Fremont Weir Wildlife Area in rural Yolo County, a few miles from Sacramento International Airport.
A video feed from a PG&E camera that is part of the AlertWildfire network started to capture flames shortly before midnight and showed fire activity continuing through Thursday.
The fire was producing large amounts of smoke that could be seen from nearby freeways including Interstate 5.
At noon, sensors across Sacramento, including downtown and Land Park, showed diminished air quality, according to a real-time map of monitors powered by PurpleAir. One set of monitors along 14th and T streets showed AQI readings as high as 92 — most others were reading in the 50s — up from the forecasted PM2.5 reading of 33.
National Weather Service forecasts show sustained winds up to 15 mph and gusts up to 20 mph from the northwest throughout the day, pushing the smoke directly toward Sacramento.
The Yolo County Office of Emergency Services in an update around 8:30 a.m. said no homes are in danger due to the fire, and that crews may be conducting “back-burning” — controlled burns to eliminate fuel in the fire’s path. Smoke may be visible in the area throughout the day, according to the county.
The fire is burning a few miles northwest and across the Sacramento River from Sacramento International Airport, and about five miles northeast of Woodland, with no major structures in the immediate area.
The fire is expected to burn approximately 1,400 acres, Woodland fire officials said in a social media post. At 2:22 p.m. Thursday, Yolo County officials announced on Twitter that the fire burned about 1,000 acres.
The fire forced authorities to close the 1,500-acre Fremont Weir Wildlife Area to the public until further notice, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday on Twitter.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 6:59 AM.
