Las Vegas (LAS) — Fires in California prompted an air quality warning due to smoke in Clark County on Wednesday.
“You try to avoid it as much as possible, but certain responsibilities call,” says Michael Taylor during a visit to a local dog park.
He says he had no choice but to spend time outdoors and exercise with his five dogs.
He admits, however, that the smoky skies over the valley made this visit somewhat less pleasant.
“It was quite a shock. I woke up this morning and definitely smelled like something was burning somewhere,” Taylor says.
And the problem lies hundreds of miles away in Southern California.
A handful of wildfires are sending smoke toward Las Vegas.
Clark County issues an air quality warning.
MORE |CCSD cancels non-essential outdoor activities due to air quality warnings
“It all comes from the Los Angeles Basin,” says Kevin MacDonald of the Department of Air Quality. “In terms of ozone, Clark County is an ideal oven for cooking ozone because of its geography, topography and climate. The same is true for particulate matter pollution because the wind blows all the smoke from other areas into Clark County and it hangs around for a while.”
According to MacDonald, there are 18 air quality monitoring stations in the county.
Everything from dust to carbon monoxide is analyzed.
But this week it’s about smoke.
The district’s website shows unhealthy air at every station.
However, three locations near Liberty High School, in Green Valley and in Boulder City were rated as very unhealthy.
“We take the 24-hour average and get our air quality index for the day,” he explains. “This allows us to compare it with the historical value.”
Including a comparison to 2013, when the Carpenter-1 fire on Mount Charleston burned nearly 28,000 acres.
Thick smoke remains in the air for days.
MacDonald said it was too early to determine whether Wednesday’s air quality warning would be extended.
“It’s not great,” he says, looking toward Sunrise Mountain. “Today is tough.”
Back at the park, Taylor tries to make the most of his limited time outdoors.
“I’m just enjoying the breeze,” he says. “I still have masks in my car because of Covid, so it’s good to have those supplies there, just in case.”
