Winds Blowing Smoke From Sequoia And Kings National Park Wildfire Into Southern California
VENTURA (CBSLA) — Smell that? The all-too-familiar, dreaded odor of brush fire smoke is in the air, but the source is coming wildfires burning in Northern California, hundreds of miles away.
The Ventura County Fire Department sent out a tweet Monday morning to let people know that a northwest breeze is pushing smoke from fires in Northern California.
"Noticing smoke in the sky? Do not be alarmed. This is drift smoke caused by the shifting winds," the fire department tweeted.
The National Weather Service confirmed that winds were carrying smoke from Northern California to the south.
"Widespread haze and smoke was encompassing most of SW California due to large wildfires in the southern Sierra Nevada Mtns," the NWS tweeted. "Air quality is a moderate concern."
A number of wildfires are burning in Northern California at the moment, but the most concerning at the moment is the lightning-sparked KNP Complex fire that's threatening one of the state's most iconic features – giant Sequoia trees. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park have been closed to visitors and a large swath of Northern California was under a red flag warning for extreme fire danger Monday.
The red flag warning has not been extended into Southern California, but weak Santa Ana winds and rising temperatures could elevate the risk of wildfires.
