Smoke from a wildfire burning about 85 miles northwest of Sacramento drifted into the region as the blaze grew to more than 3,000 acres in Lake and Mendocino counties, according to state and local fire officials.<\/p>\n
The Lucas Fire, which started Thursday, had burned 3,476 acres and was 5% contained Friday<\/a>, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.<\/p>\n Despite the fire’s distance from Sacramento, smoke was visible across parts of the region. An AlertWildfire camera in El Dorado County showed smoky conditions, while the Foresthill Fire Protection District in Placer County also reported haze from wildfire smoke in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n The smoke was especially pronounced in parts of Yolo County around the Capay Valley<\/a>, which is just 50 miles from the burn area.<\/p>\n “Smoke concentrations are expected to decrease this afternoon and overnight as southerly winds increase with the changing weather pattern,” the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District said in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n TODAY’S AIR QUALITYThis live-updating map shows the combined readings for particulate matter and ozone.Source: airnow.gov<\/a><\/p>\n Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District officials reported slightly elevated air quality readings in the area, noting conditions were considered moderate for ozone<\/a> but not heavier particulate matter.<\/p>\n