Early last week, a massive cloud of smoke from the fire approached Fresno from the northeast, Aug. 30. A thick haze filled the air, a direct result of one of the most massive wildfires in California history.

The blaze began on Aug. 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County, 10 miles west of Yosemite National Park, and it has now become the third-largest wildfire in state history, covering over 246,000 acres of Yosemite and Stanislaus. However, the fire department now has it about 80% contained, and they hope to have it completely put out by Sept. 20.

Because of the intensity of the fire and the area it has covered, the central state has suffered from the smoke and ash that the fire has produced. Strangely enough, though, aside from two excessively smoky days, Fresno has not suffered all that much in light of the amount of pollution this wildfire has put out over the last couple of weeks.

Janelle Schneider, Public Information Representative of the Valley Air District, says that, although the air quality in other parts of the state has been affected greatly by the fire, the air in the Fresno area has remained in a pretty healthy range, considering the smoke and ash produced by the fire. In fact, the level of pollution is fairly low for even this time of year.

“The air quality began to worsen as pollutants built up and wind patterns were conducive to pushing the smoke down into the air basin, although communities in the immediate vicinity of the fire saw impacts right away,” Schneider said. “According to our analysts, we are not, at this time, being impacted by smoke, and our air is not more stressed than what is typical at this time of year. In fact, over the past few days, our air quality has been mostly in the ?Good? to ?Moderate? range throughout the eight counties that make up the air basin.”

Because the level of pollution is not really dangerous at this time, the Valley Air District does not recommend any additional safety measures than to stay informed about the air quality and to be mindful of your level of outdoor activity, especially if you are among the more sensitive to air pollution.

“The precautions we recommend are the same as what we would recommend in any instance of elevated air pollutants: Stay aware of your localized air quality and take appropriate precautions for your activity level and personal health,” Schneider said. “We have a free program, the Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN), which sends data directly to a subscriber from the monitor of that subscriber?s choice. If we are directly impacted again by smoke, then our air quality could deteriorate, but things are looking normal at this time.”

FC Athletic Administrative Assistant Michelle Regnerus says that the FC athletic office keeps track of daily air quality, so students and parents do not need to worry about games and practices being held in an unhealthy environment.

“We will cancel practice if need be,” Regnerus said. “We look at the air quality report daily. When the air is ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ we adjust practice activity and times and if it is too high we will cancel all outdoor activity. Teams will meet indoors if that occurs. It is safe to continue outdoor activity as long as we are informed and pro-active about it, though.”

Although they have not had to cancel any practices or sporting events as of yet, it is not beyond the administration to do so to ensure the absolute safety of all FC students and athletes.

“Any air quality issues affect outdoor activities, but FC as a whole is concerned about our students’ health throughout the day,” Regnerus said. “We modify activity when needed and we monitor students during activities at all times. If it is PE, recess or sporting events we take all necessary precautions to help ensure our students are safe and that they get them most out of their time at FC.”

This author can be reached via Twitter: @JennaWeimer42. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For information on the current air quality, visit the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District’s Daily Air Quality Status and Forecast.

For more information on the rim fire, see the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s California Fire News or Southern California Public Radio’s arim fire tracker.

For information on the additional effects the rim fire and air quality are having on the land and water, see Climate Progress’s Sept. 3 article VIEWPOINT: Wildfires Pose A Major Threat To Our Clean Water.

For more news, see the August 29 article, Campus students excel in AP tests.