Checking in from Sierra Madre, southern edge of the Bobcat fire. We bailed out Saturday morning to Ventura, to escape the AQI 472 smoke, and the new racket from the helicopters refilling at the city yards settling basins, which are a eighth of a mile north of us. They weren't flying the previous 3 days due to lack of visibility, but started flying Friday afternoon in the same conditions. Returned Sunday evening to the clearest exterior air in days, but the house was full of smoke. Opened the windows and turned on the fans to clear it out. Stupidly went to bed with the windows open...when the marine layer comes inland, it creates a inversion layer that traps the smoke until the rising temps evaporate the inversion layer. Woke up to a house filled with nasty smoke. We bailed out again, and are now residing at the Double Tree in Monrovia.
Air Quality in Sierra Madre is 242 now, about half as bad as it was yesterday at this time. When I was checking west coast air quality on Purpleair, I was stunned to see 672 at Lee Vining, which is the western portal of Yosemite in the Sierra.
Waiting for a call from a local HVAC contractor so I can pick up a new, odd sized air filter for an older friend of ours who lives by the Rose Bowl who is experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. I'm wearing an industrial respirator when i'm out sand about these days.