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Sacramento-area air districts issued an alert Saturday warning of poor air quality throughout the region.
The air quality index was forecast to meet or exceed 126, a level that’s considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers.
The alert from Sacramento Metropolitan, El Dorado, Feather River, Placer and Yolo-Solano is the first of 2026, according to the Spare the Air website. The region had two Spare the Air days in 2025, on back-to-back days in July.
The Sacramento region’s air quality has been worsened by the Woodside Fire in Sonoma County, which began Thursday and was 40% contained as of 9:22 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The alert was issued through the regional air districts’ updated “Spare The Air” air quality alert system, which launched in late May.
To stay safe, the air districts recommend avoiding prolonged outdoor exposure, according to the Spare the Air website. Other actions, like reducing driving by carpooling or taking public transportation, can also cut back on air pollution, the site says.
Haley Parsley
The Sacramento Bee
Haley Parsley is the acting Folsom and El Dorado Hills watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, where she was a fellow at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. While there, she reported on immigration policy in the state. She has previously reported in Oklahoma City.
