The pollution actually seems to have stayed high up with the smoke. It's nothing compared to the Cedar Fire in 2003 here, which burned over 30 miles overnight from its origin into San Diego itself. That Sunday morning, I was driving along the 52 freeway as the fire raged alongside on its way to burn hundreds of homes in Scripps Ranch, then had to evacuate that night as it crept down the hills to Santee, where a heroic battle by firefighters stopped it along wide Mast Blvd before it damaged houses on the other side (that's where I get the coyote pictures, BTW). The fire was intentionally started by a "lost" hunter, BTW, even though he had to know that numerous other major fires were already raging in southern California...
Anyway, we had thick choking smoke for four straight days in all of the area, and it got even thicker on the third day, so we knew the blaze must have turned back east and hit the thick pine forests of Cuyamaca like a bomb. Big chunks of charcoal were falling from the sky, and everyone stayed indoors and wore face masks if they had to go out (deja vu!)--probably what they are getting in other parts of CA and Oregon right now. So far, it's been nothing down here compared to that--I was just mad that the fire had to come at the same time as our historic heat blast.
