The first major wildfire in Southern Californiafor the 2021 fire season broke out northwest of Santa Barbara on Monday, October 11, 2021.¹ By Thursday, October 14, the Alisal Fire had grown to 16,801 acres with only 5 percent containment.

Highway 101 has remained closed during the fire, which is believed to have started in the mountains between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Alisal reservoir.² Evacuations have been ordered for residents in the Rufugio Canyon area, El Capitan State Park, the El Capitan Campground, and the area west of Arroyo Hondo.

As many as 100 structures in Santa Barbara county are at risk from the fire.

Firefighting efforts have been hampered by strong winds. The fire is being fueled by dry chaparral and short grass in the region.

Pictured: Air quality images taken three hours apart, between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm on Wednesday, October 13. Source: IQAir

City air quality plummets

Air quality rapidly degraded in Santa Barbara within three hours on Wednesday, October 13. Air quality measurements earlier in the day found that much of the city’s air quality ranged from levels considered “Moderate” according to the air quality index, with some coastal areas registering as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” or “Unhealthy.” By 2:30, nearly all of the city’s air quality monitors registered “Unhealthy” air quality.

While no amount of exposure to airborne pollutants is safe, “Unhealthy” air quality is particularly dangerous. Unhealthy air quality is defined as measuring concentrations of fine particulate matter, PM2.5, between 55.5 and 150.4 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air).

By Thursday, October 14, Californian cities east of Santa Barbara were impacted by smoke and poor air quality, including:

• Camarillo
• Malibu
• Oxnard
• Port Hueneme
• Santa Paula
• Thousand Oaks
• Ventura

Pictured: Cities east of Santa Barbara were affected by poor air quality and smoke. Thursday, October 14. Source: IQAir

Poor air quality can be experienced far from wildfires, even half a continent away during exceptionally large fires like those experienced earlier this summer in northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

PM2.5 has been associated with numerous health concerns, including:

• heart and lung disease
• bronchitis
• emphysema
• asthma and more intense flareups
• early death

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) can also be present in smoke. UFPs are so tiny that, when inhaled, they can enter the bloodstream via the lungs and pose a threat to all the body’s organs.

The takeaway

If poor air quality poses a threat to your community, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

• Listen to local officials if there are orders to evacuate.
• Close doors and windows to limit entry points for smoke.
• Become air conscious - know what’s in your environment by using an air quality monitor.
• Run an air purifier for wildfire smoke in the event smoke is a threat to your indoor environment.
• If it is unavoidable to go outside during poor air quality days, wear an air pollution mask.