SoCal Shrouded In Smoke As Woolsey Fire Continues To Spread

Smoke from the Woolsey Fire burning up north in Los Angeles/Ventura Counties blots out the sun over Los Angeles. (Credit: Inglewood Times)

Several major fires in California continue to spread and threaten thousands of homes. That includes two fires, the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire, both located northwest of Los Angeles between Los Angeles County and neighboring Ventura County.

As the fires have spread, 250000 are under mandatory evacuation orders all over the state. In Northern California, the fast moving Camp Fire has claimed the lives of at least 9 people. In the town of Paradise, with a population of 26000, the town’s mayor has estimated that 80-90 of the homes within have been destroyed. The camp fire has now burned over 100000 acres.

Woolsey Fire

Overnight, the Woolsey Fire has gone from 35000 acres burned on Friday to over 70000 acres the following morning on Saturday. More than 50 homes in Ventura County have burned down as a result of the fire. Containment still remains at 0%, despite the valiant efforts of firefighters.

CalFire are struggling to contain the fires, due to extremely dry conditions and Santa Ana winds feeding the fire, with wind speeds reaching 50-60mph. On Friday, a forecasted break in the winds did not materialize, hampering the efforts of firefighters.

President Trump sent out a tweet, criticizing the forest service and threatening to further decrease their funding.


Only for Firefighters in California to fight back.

Orange Glow

All over SoCal, the sky is cast an orange-glow, as a result of the smoke from the fires obstructing the light from the sun.

Air quality in many parts of Los Angeles remain at unhealthy levels. Purple Air, a crowd-sourced air monitoring system consisting of hundreds of user-deployed air quality sensors, has many sensors all over Los Angeles reporting particulate levels as high as 300ppm. At those levels, even those without respiratory issues should minimize outdoor activity.