Air quality in Lake Tahoe area considered extremely unhealthy due to Caldor Fire: WHO

(CALIF.) — Due to the thick smoke from the Caldor Fire, the air quality near the Lake Tahoe area is nearly 40 times what the World Health Organization deems unhealthy, according to data from IQAir.

For over two weeks, the Caldor Fire has swept across 177,260 acres of Northern California and only 14% of the fire is currently contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

As of Monday, over 500 structures have been damaged or destroyed and at least three first responders and two civilians have been injured, according to the state.

Statewide, over 15,000 firefighters are currently battling a total of 15 large wildfires. In total, 1.7 million acres have been burned in 2021, according to the state.

With windy conditions, firefighters are facing challenging weather this week as the Caldor Fire spreads throughout the Lake Tahoe area. The fire is threatening more than 20,000 structures in its current path.

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