Air pollution increases due to Ponderosa fire

Photo courtesy of Butte County Sheriffs Office

Photo courtesy of Butte County Sheriff’s Office

Warnings have been posted by campus administration regarding the air quality in Chico, due to the Ponderosa fire.

3,500 acres of land in the Butte county area have been affected. At least, 500 homes and over 800 outbuildings were threatened, according to a joint statement by the Butte County Air Quality Managements District and the Butte County Public Health Department.

Ten percent remains contained as of Thursday night.

A campus wide advisory was sent, Thursday, regarding the smoke from the fire that made its way into the Chico metropolitan area. It is recommended that “sensitive persons” (children, the elderly, those with pre-existing respiratory conditions) avoid being out.

According to the press release, best air quality on campus can be found inside buildings due to the air filters built into the AC units.

Further questions can be directed to Richard Perrelli from Environmental Health and Safety at (530)898-5126.

Cameron O’brien
can be reached at [email protected] or @cameronbrien on Twitter.