BOHS students arrived on campus on Sept. 9 to a gray haze and the acrid smell of smoke from San Bernardino County’s Line fire, which has grown to 23,000 acres.
The fire, which was first reported in a residential area in San Bernardino County at around 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 5, is currently three percent contained.
While the exact cause of the fire is currently unknown, officials state that the triple-digit temperatures are “causing very erratic behavior on the Line Fire.” This combination of extreme heat and dry vegetation is thought to have aided the wildfire’s ignition.
Although the fire rages 50 miles from the BOHS campus, its effects were especially felt by Wildcat student athletes.
At 7:58 a.m., BOHS principal Joey Davis sent an email to faculty announcing, “We have been asked to curtail outdoor activities” and “we ask that you please keep students inside during class time (especially PE classes) and limit physical exertion due to the heat and air quality.”
A few hours later, Pam Valenti, BOHS girls’ athletic director, said, “The air quality is so bad we’ve canceled everything outdoors. The outdoor sports have moved inside. Accommodations weren’t too hard to make because we already had plans to keep [students inside] due to the high temperatures.”
Temperatures in Brea have cracked 100 degrees Fahrenheit over the past week, with a high of 103 today, 101 on Sept. 8, and 105 on Sept. 6.
Due to the high temperatures and the Line Fire, the air pollution index value shot up to an “unhealthy” 169. “Good” air quality is 0-50, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics.
“During a wildfire, pollutants and greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide/dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and methane, are released into the air,” Wade Cormier, science teacher, told the Wildcat in 2020. As a result, “our lungs are working harder, filtering out the particulates from the wildfires. Anytime you have burning fires which increase our air pollution, the change in mix between nitrogen and oxygen in the air is disturbed, which greatly affects our respiratory system.”
Sports canceled on Sept. 9 due to the poor air quality and excessive heat included:
- flag football game postponed
- cheer practice canceled
- baseball practice canceled
- tennis practice canceled
- swim practice canceled
- basketball practice canceled
- football practice moved indoors to gym
- color guard practice canceled
Students who did participate in morning practices (cross country) or scrimmages (golf) felt the effects of the smokey air.
“Today was a harder day. It was workout day, so we repeated the different distances of our runs, and I [noticed] people were a lot more sluggish and tired than usual,” Mia Luna (‘26), member of the track team, said. “We seemed to have a harder time breathing this morning.”
Girls’ golf participated in a scrimmage against Glendora High School at 6:30 a.m. at Birch Hills Gold Course in Brea. Golfer Sophie Chappell (‘27) experienced a “sore throat after the match,” which she attributes to the smoke from the Line Fire.
Siena Codekas (’27), varsity swimmer, said, “I’ve never brought water throughout my years of high school, but due to the air quality my mom made me bring my water.”
“The air quality was bad during cross country practice, even when running down to the fire station and back it felt like I was suffocating,” Issabella Garcia (‘27), varsity track member, said. “When we were on the track doing a workout it was very hard for everyone to breathe. A lot of my teammates’ eyes and faces were red from the smoke and they told me hours after practice that they were still feeling nauseous and sick.”
Compounding the poor air quality in Brea is the Trabuco Canyon Airport Fire, which ignited at 1:30 p.m. near Trabuco Flyers Club in south Orange County. The fire, which has grown to 1,900 acres as of 8:11 p.m., has resulted in an evacuation order in Rancho Santa Margarita. Brea Engine 302 and Brea Battalion 1 were dispatched to assist in the firefighting effort, according to the Brea Fire Department’s Instagram account, @breafiredept.
As the smoke continues to blanket Brea’s skies, citizens should consider these recommendations to stay healthy: reduce the amount of time spent outside; wear a mask when outdoors; and keep all windows and doors closed.
