Trinity County blazes send smoke down to Central Valley

Smoke from wildfires blazing north of Sacramento was filling Central Valley skies Saturday, alarming many area residents.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant confirmed that the haze and smell in the air had blown over from the fires in Trinity County. A shift in the wind sent the smoke throughout the Modesto, Turlock and Tracy areas. Berlant said the smoke was likely not from the closer Jerusalem Fire in Lake County, which is more contained, but the various fires west of Redding.

Local fire officials said they fielded calls all day about the smoke. Many departments posted to social media Saturday to calm people worried about conditions. They advised children, the elderly and people with respiratory issues to stay indoors because of the smoke.

“We’ve got a lot of concern about this,” Berlant said. “One of the things we want people to understand is we know there’s smoke, but unless you see a fire, don’t call 911.”

The haze could be seen across the Bay Area as well with reports of smoky skies in downtown San Francisco and across the East Bay.

Berlant said dozens of fires in Trinity County have been burning for weeks and are being fought as six complexes.

Strong northerly wind is pushing the smoke south. National Weather Service meteorologist Courtney Obergfell said it is hard to say when the smoke will clear off. Obergfell said the forecast calls for it to remain breezy in the Modesto region with a high of up to 101 degrees Sunday.

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Trinity County blazes send smoke down to Central Valley."