SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Northern Californians are facing multiple threats as wildfires, unhealthy smoky air, extreme heat, the looming possibility of power outages and an ongoing pandemic coincide. It's forcing many to weigh the risks of staying indoors or going outside. Smoke from several wildfires created unhealthy air quality, heightening concerns that people could be more prone to respiratory illnesses. Air quality and public health officials are urging people to stay inside with windows and doors shut. But with a statewide call to conserve energy to avoid power outages, people must choose between their air conditioners or sweltering inside to avoid the smoke. One scientist says “we're running out of options to cope.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A container ship makes its way beneath the Golden Gate Bridge as smoke from wildfires hovers over San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, in this view from near Sausalito, Calif. Crews were battling wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate Wednesday as hundreds of wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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