Photos: Yellow Skies And Murky Road Conditions In Angeles Foothills

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An unsettling yellow-brown fog has steadily crept over L.A.'s skies this week, banketing the city in a smoky haze, as wildfires continue to burn across the state.

Apocalyptic hues and falling ash are most visible in the neighborhoods dotting the foothills of Angeles National Forest. Those areas are dangerously close to the Bobcat Fire, which has been burning for six days, expanding to 26,368 acres as of late Friday afternoon.

The fire is now inside the city limits of Monrovia, and multiple areas are under evacuation orders.

Smoke advisories have been extended through Saturday Sept. 12. According to the AQMD, local air quality is also being impacted by the major fires burning in Central and Northern California. The smoke from the Bobcat and El Dorado fires is visible on satelitte imagery, and smoke from all of California's fires has apparently reached as far as Europe.

Clouds of ash and thick smoke are impacting visiblity on nearby roads and highways, and can have serious health affects.

Exposure to smoke can cause scratchy throats, headaches, chest tightness, and eye irritation in even the healthiest people.

Fire-impacted air can also inflame already existing conditions like allergies, ashtma, and inflamatory lung diseases like COPD.

Perhaps most distrurbing is the possiblity that smoke from the wildfires could be especially dangerous to those recovering from COVID-19, as well as pregnant women, seniors and children.

Courtesy South Coast Air Quality Management District Authority

Air Quality Index Data as if 5 p.m. Friday via AirNow

"These are not just inert particles," Dr. Zab Mosenifar, a lung specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told KPCC/LAist. "These particles are sulphur dioxide, nitric oxide, ozone (trioxygen) -- these are very, very bad players."

Dr. Mosenifar says he's seen a significant increase in calls from his patients since the fires began.

Experts say if you see or smell smoke, you should stay inside, run your air conditioning (if you're one of the lucky ones who has it), and avoid exercising.

As for the science of air quality, it's likely more strange and complicated than you think. You can check the air quality near you here.

LAist photographer Chava Sanchez has spent the last two days in the San Gabriel foothills.

Here's what he saw.

The sun sets on a smokey day over the 605 freeway south. Smoke hangs in the sky from the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Immaculate Conception church and school in Monrovia against a backdrop of smoke from the nearby Bobcat Fire. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Smoke rises from the Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest on September 9. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

The sun sets on a smokey day over the 605 freeway south. Smoke hangs in the sky from the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Mt Wilson Observatory covered by a blanket of smoke as the Bobcat Fire rages nearby. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

The Bobcat fire as seen from the 210 freeway near Monrovia. The skies over Monrovia looked apocalyptic as smoke rose from the Bobcat fires in the Angeles National Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Orange hued smoke fills the skies above the San Gabriel Valley as the Bobcat Fire spreads. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Cars driving on the 210 freeway under a blanket of orange smoke from the nearby Bobcat Fire. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

San Marino Fire Department truck waits near homes in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

An LA County Fire helicopter deployed to combat the Bobcat Fire flies over a resedential neighborhood in Monrovia. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Houses on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains have been given evacuation warnings. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Power lines against a smoke filled sky in Monrovia as the Bobcat Fire rages through the Angeles National Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Orange skies over a smokey street in Monrovia. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

A man bikes through smokey streets in the San Gabriel Valley as smoke from the Bobcat fire blankets the area. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Palm trees sway in a orange hued sky due to the smoke from the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Thick plumes of smoke rise from the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Orange skies over smokey streets in Monrovia. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

An LA County Fire helicopter flies towards the Bobcat fire. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Smoke rises from the bobcat fire as it burns through the Angeles Forest. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Ash from the Bobcat fire on the windsheild of a car. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Road Closures because of the Bobcat fires in Sierra Madre. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

The Bobcat fire erupted in the Angeles National Forest and has spread over 23k acres filling the Los Angeles are with ash and smoke. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

The sun peeks through the smoke filled sky at 11 am on September 10. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

FIRE RESOURCES

• Every Day Is Fire Season. Here's How Angelenos Can Prepare Right Now
• How To Find Out About Fire Evacuations In Your Area
• How To Keep Yourself Safe From Wildfire Smoke
• The Air Is Brown -- Should I Wear A Mask?
• This Is Why Fire Officials Don't Want You To Stay And Defend Your Home
• What Does 'Containment' Of A Fire Mean, Exactly?
• What Does A 'Red Flag Warning' Mean, Exactly?
• What To Do -- And Not Do -- When You Get Home After A Wildfire
• How To Avoid Getting Towed During LA's Red Flag Parking Restrictions
• If You Want To Help Fire Victims, Resist The Urge To Volunteer