Air Quality in Reno-Sparks Is in Unhealthy Level, Yet No Classes Are Canceled

On Monday morning, air quality readings in Reno-Sparks were on the border between unhealthy and very unhealthy, but they were still below the threshold for the Washoe County School District to cancel in-person classes.

At 6 a.m., the index reading in Reno and Sparks was 196. As smoke from the Mosquito Fire west of Lake Tahoe continues to blow into the region, the reading was only a few points short of being very unhealthy.

The school system warned Monday that if the AQI is above 300 and expected to stay that way, schools would be closed, but the final decision will be made by Superintendent Susan Enfield. At 6:30 p.m. The AQI in Reno was 378 on Monday.

If school had been canceled or delayed, the district would have begun robocalling families at 5:15 a.m. Tuesday.

The Mosquito Fire broke out last Tuesday evening in Foresthill, California, and its cause is still unknown. The fire had destroyed 48,700 acres and was 16% controlled as of Monday evening’s assessment. Twenty-five homes and 21 structures have been destroyed, while 5,848 more are under threat.

Credits: Reno Gazette Journal