All K-12 schools in the Reno-Sparks area will be closed on Monday due to wildfire smoke that the Washoe County School District said made the air quality hazardous.
Smoke blowing over from the Dixie and Caldor fires in neighboring California has blanketed Northern Nevada on and off for weeks, leaving small particulate matter in the air and causing ash to rain on cars in some areas. The district delayed start times due to the smoke last Tuesday to wait for winds to disperse and push the fumes out of the area.
Government air monitors for the region measured high levels of particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 microns in the air on Monday morning, spiking the Air Quality Index to 331. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers measurements above 300 to be emergency conditions hazardous to everyone’s health.
Before and after school activities will also be cancelled, the district said. The delay comes a year after Washoe County schools were closed six times in four weeks due to smoke. The district installed commercial-grade HVAC systems in its schools last year to help ventilate hallways and classrooms, but has expressed concerns about juggling wildfire smoke outside and the risk of the coronavirus indoors.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.