A regional air quality alert was issued for much of Southern California as harmful levels of fine particle pollution spread across the region following Fourth of July fireworks and active wildfires in nearby mountain areas.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) announced the alert on Friday, July 4, warning that elevated pollution levels would persist through Saturday night, July 5, due to smoke from Independence Day celebrations and wildfires in parts of Los Angeles County and beyond.
The alert applied to most of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the Inland Empire, Santa Clarita, and the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. Officials said pollution levels could vary by time and location depending on emissions and local weather conditions…