Smoke from California fires closes Reno-area schools again

RENO — A blanket of hazy smoke from California wildfires prompted the closure of schools Thursday in Reno-Sparks for the second time this week due to the unhealthy air as officials urged residents to limit outdoor activity.

A record-breaking heat wave was keeping many others in Nevada indoors.

The National Weather Service extended a dense smoke advisory until 11 a.m. Friday for Reno, Lake Tahoe and much of western Nevada. The air quality index flirted with the “very unhealthy” category in Reno for the second day in a row and was considered “unhealthy” for the general population on Thursday.

“Smoke including thicker particular matter from active first across California will continue to pour into the area. Air quality may fluctuate over the next 24 hours but is expected to remain unhealthy into at least Friday morning,” the service said.

Elko also started the day with air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Most of the smoke in Reno and Sparks was coming from more than two-dozen big fires in the San Francisco Bay Area about 200 miles away.

District officials delayed the start of the school year one day on Monday due to smoke. Thousands of students were in classrooms Tuesday and Wednesday — using masks, social distancing and other precautions to help guard against the spread of COVID-19.

Washoe County Health District officer Kevin Dick warned that irritation from wildfire smoke makes people more susceptible to the coronavirus because the tiny particulates go straight through the lungs into the bloodstream.