Unhealthy air quality has been declared for residents in the Santa Clarita Valley due to the Canyon Fire, which has burned 5,370 acres as of Friday afternoon, according to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health news release.
Wildfires such as the Canyon Fire, which broke out near Lake Piru on Thursday afternoon and forced mandatory evacuations for residents in the unincorporated area of Val Verde and Hasley Canyon, emit a mixture of small particles, gases and water vapor, which can cause health concern for residents, the news release stated.
Symptoms people may suffer due to the poor air quality include burning eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose, and headaches and illnesses such as bronchitis, the news release added.
According to Helen Christoni, senior vice president for AirDoctor by Ideal Living, which is a health and wellness company, residents shouldn’t just take precaution over poor air quality as the fire actively burns but should be vigilant even after post fire containment.
“Just because the air clears and it (the sky) turns blue again,” she said during a telephone interview on Friday, “there’s still a big danger to people because all the benzene and the volatile organic compounds linger.”
According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health release, those at high risk are children, older adults, pregnant women and people with heart or lung conditions and weakened immune systems.
Procedures that residents can take to help lessen the risk of poor air quality exposure, according to Christoni, are to limit use of air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems because it pulls contaminated air from the outside and traps it within the buildings.
“What we recommend you do is create a safe room in your home, have one place in your home where you have all the doors and windows closed, and run a high-grade air purifier,” Christoni said.
If residents don’t have access to air conditioning purifiers, Department of Public Health officials advise residents to go to public places such as libraries or shopping centers to stay cool, the release stated.
Pets should also remain indoors — particularly at night — and if they are showing signs of respiratory distress, they should be taken to an animal hospital immediately, the release added.
