A Spare the Air Alert for the Bay Area has been extended into Saturday as smoke from the Woodside Fire in Sonoma County is expected to continue causing poor air quality across the region.

The North Bay region will likely be impacted the most by wildfire smoke, with air quality expected to be in the range of unhealthy to very unhealthy for sensitive groups, especially in Sonoma County, according to the Bay Area Air District.

During a Spare the Air Alert, it is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices.

Residents in Sonoma County, northern Marin County, western Solano County, and Napa County should limit prolonged exertion outdoors, especially children and people with respiratory diseases like asthma./im

A regional air quality map produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows air quality monitor readings around Northern California on Friday afternoon, July 31, 2026. Smoke from the Soodside Fire along the Sonoma County coast is expected to create poor air conditions in the Bay Area this weekend. (Map adapted from U.S. EPA/AirNow)

The Marin County Office of Emergency Management advised residents to consider wearing an N95 mask if outdoors, closing windows, and using air conditioners or air purifiers.

Areas along the Marin County coast, northern Alameda County, western Contra Costa County, San Francisco, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County are also expected to be impacted by smoke. Residents in these areas who are unusually sensitive to poor air quality should limit outdoor exertion.

Smoke pollution in parts of the East Bay is expected to worsen Saturday.

The district will monitor air quality throughout the region for smoke impacts from the fire, Members of the public can check their local air quality on the U.S. EPA’s Fire and Smoke Map.

Alise is a general assignment reporter with a focus on covering government, elections, housing, crime, courts and entertainment in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. Alise is a Bay Area native from San Carlos. She studied history at University of California, Santa Cruz and first started journalism at Skyline College’s school newspaper in San Bruno. She has interned for Bay City News and for Eesti Rahvusringhääling, or Estonian Public Broadcasting. She has covered everything from the removal of former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to the divisive battle over the Great Highway on San Francisco’s west side. Please send her any tips.