10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Smoke Caused by Wildfire

Wildfire smoke isn’t just a problem for people living near fires. Right now, strong winds are blowing smoke from fires near Pacific Palisades, the Pasadena foothills, and Simi Valley all across Southern California, causing bad air quality.

This smoke can make your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs feel irritated and might carry harmful stuff that can make you very sick. The smallest particles in the smoke can go deep into your lungs or even get into your blood.

For example, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, businesses on Lake Ave in Altadena, CA, caught fire. This was part of a larger tragedy that happened just one hour ago when a new fire in Hollywood Hills caused the deaths of five people and destroyed over 2,000 buildings.

This smoke is very harmful, especially for kids, people with asthma or other breathing problems, anyone with heart disease, and pregnant women.

What You Can Do to Stay Safe from Wildfire Smoke

1. Stay Inside: The best way to avoid bad air is to stay indoors and keep your windows and doors shut.

2. Use Air Filters: Turn on your heating and air conditioning system but make sure it doesn’t pull in air from outside. You might also want to use a portable air cleaner in the rooms you use most.

3. Keep Pets Inside: Make sure your pets stay indoors too, so they don’t breathe the bad air.

4. Check Your Air Filters: Make sure your air filters are clean and working well. Use filters rated MERV 13 or higher if you can.

5. Don’t Make Indoor Air Worse: Don’t light candles, incense, or fires in your fireplace. Also, avoid using anything that burns gas. Don’t vacuum since it can stir up dust inside.

6. Be Careful Cleaning Up Ash: Wear long sleeves, pants, gloves, socks, shoes, and goggles when you clean up ash. Wet the ash with a hose first to keep it from flying around, then sweep it up gently and throw it away in a plastic bag.

7. Throw Out Bad Food: If your power goes out, food in your fridge is only good for about four hours if you keep the door shut. After that, you need to throw it out, especially meat, eggs, milk, and cut fruits and veggies. Also, check any medicines that need to be kept cool.

8. Find Cleaner Air: If your eyes keep watering or you can’t stop coughing, try to go somewhere with cleaner air.

9. Don’t Work Out Hard: Avoid doing things that make you breathe deeply, like running or heavy exercise.

10. Wear a Good Mask: If you have to go outside, wear a strong mask like an N95 or P-100 to keep harmful particles out of your lungs.

Extra Risks and What to Do

Kids and pregnant women need to be extra careful because wildfire smoke can be really bad for them. They should stay inside as much as possible in rooms with clean air, and avoid using gas stoves. Kids over 2 should wear a good mask if they go outside.

People with conditions like asthma or heart disease need to keep their air as clean as possible to avoid getting sicker.

Wildfires happen a lot in Southern California, so it’s good to be prepared. Keep some masks like N95s ready, make sure your air filters are clean, and keep an eye on air quality reports. Know where your fire extinguisher is and keep your medicines stocked up.

Remember, even if you’re not close to a wildfire, the smoke can still reach you and cause problems. It’s important to know how to protect yourself and stay safe.