Thick Smoke from Farmland Fires in California

Unreported open-air burning has occurred in multiple farmlands around the San Joaquin Valley, producing large amounts of particulate matter and smoke. Carried by air currents, the smoke plume spread southward, blanketing the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. Air quality in some residential areas briefly dropped to “unhealthy” levels, and a faint smell of burning vegetation could be detected in the air.