Smoke from California fire to stick around until mid-morning

Smoke from the Quarry fire burning 60 miles south of Minden wafted into Carson Valley on Saturday night.

“Smoke from the Quarry fire to our south will impact air quality today in the Tahoe Basin and greater Reno area,” said National Weather Service Reno Meteorologist Colin McKellar on Sunday morning. “Expect this haze and smoke to stick around into late morning until it’s fully mixed out.”

Fire Information for Resource Management satellite mapping indicates the fire is around 2,000 acres with active burning in the last six hours near Strawberry.

Airnow.gov mapping indicates the smoke plume heading due north of the fire over the Sierra Nevada and into the Valley.

The smoke was first spotted around 6 p.m. Saturday increasing to an air quality index of 82 by 10 p.m. in the moderate range at the Ranchos Aspen Park sensor. An air sensor in Minden rose to 109 or unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Residents reported seeing a smoke plume south of the Valley.

The smoke was not sufficient to reduce visibility, according to Minden-Tahoe Airport’s automated weather system.

The wind today is expected out of the east at 5-10 mph, shifting to southwest later this morning, with gusts of up to 20 mph.

Forecasters said a front arriving in the Sierra on Monday could bring critical fire weather conditions in the afternoon.