Air alerts still in effect from Tracy fire

Health cautions remained in place Wednesday because of a large biomass fire in Tracy that is sending smoke beyond San Joaquin County into Stanislaus and Merced counties.

Piles of wood are burning at the Tracy Storage Facility for Agra Marketing of Chico, the Tracy Press reported. The fire began Monday.

The fire is being managed by state and local fire officials. The cautions from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will remain in effect until the fire is extinguished.

Smoke from fires produces fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health problems including lung disease, asthma attacks, and increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, according to the air district. Where conditions warrant, people with heart or lung disease should follow their doctors’ advice for dealing with particulate exposure. Older adults and children should avoid prolonged exposure or heavy exertion, depending on local conditions.

People with respiratory conditions, young children and elderly people are especially susceptible to health effects from these pollutants. Air district officials urge residents to follow doctors’ orders when exposed to fire emissions.

An employee at the Sylvan Union School District office in Modesto said the district follows the Real-Time Air Advisory Network, or RAAN, that the air district has online at www.valleyair.org/raan. When air is considered unhealthy, students are kept indoors during recess.

At Sherwood Elementary on Rumble Road, for example, Tuesday began with a yellow flag hung at the school, meaning moderate air quality, said staff secretary Janis Schott. But later in the morning, when the smoke made the air quality unhealthy, the red flag was hung and kids were kept indoors. As of midmorning Wednesday, the RAAN reading was moderate and the yellow flag was hung at the school.

The air district says school employees who see or smell the smoke near their campuses should keep students inside per the RAAN guidelines for Level 5 conditions at www.valleyair.org/Programs/RAAN/documents/RAAN-AQ-activity-guidance-chart.pdf.

For more information, visit www.valleyair.org or call the air district office in Modesto at (209) 557-6400.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Air alerts still in effect from Tracy fire."