California faces smoke hazard
2007-10-28 09:09
San Diego - Firefighters tightened their grip on California's wildfires with the help of cooler weather, but a threat remained Sunday of health hazards from choking plumes of smoke over the region.
Cooler temperatures, calmer winds and spots of drizzle allowed firefighters to staunch or contain most of the 23 fires that have erupted since last Sunday, leaving seven dead, destroying 1&nsp;800 homes and displacing 640 000 people.
Firefighting personnel have predicted that three major blazes could be brought under control within 10 days, offering the prospect of a return to normal after one of the worst fire disasters in Californian history.
However, Californians were still threatened by the side-effects of the fire, which has elevated air pollution levels to three times higher than normal, raising concern for the elderly, children and people with respiratory ailments.
Patricia Rey, a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency, said authorities were advising people in fire-hit areas to stay indoors.
"For sensitive groups, we are trying to keep them inside, telling them to try to avoid prolonged exercise activities. If you can do it inside it will be better. Run the air conditioner rather than keep open windows," she said.
"There are pockets of areas that are worse than others, but overall the advisories say they should really be concerned about outdoor activities."
About203 000 hectares of tinder-dry park and forest land have been incinerated by the firestorm.
The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said firefighters were buoyed by the weather conditions but remained vigilant. Figures released by the office on Saturday showed that some 20 600 properties were under threat.
"The weather has enabled the fire personnel to make great progress but there is still a long way to go," spokeswoman Rochelle Jenkins said.
The National Weather Service has warned the weather could again pose problems for crews on Sunday, with less humidity and winds of 25-40km/h in canyons and passes.
"Critical fire weather persists across the mountains and interior valleys of southern California as Santa Ana winds continue," it warned in an assessment on Saturday, referring to the hot, dry gusts that whipped up the blazes.