On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Archie Williams canceled its outdoor sports due to smoke from fires up north in the Redding-Medford area. The smoke from fires burning by the border of California and Oregon has traveled more than five hundred miles to settle in the Bay Area. 

The California Environmental Protection Agency deems air quality above 150 on the air quality index (AQI) to be “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” and suggests that one should “exercise indoors or limit vigorous outdoor activities to a maximum of 15 minutes.” 

Each school in the Tamalpais Union School District has an AQI detector that alerts the administration when it becomes necessary to cancel outdoor activities. With Wednesday’s AQI ranging between 155-161, Archie Williams’ administrators  immediately followed protocol.

The administration canceled all outdoor sports games and practices, including water polo, tennis, golf, and field hockey. However, despite warnings from officials, field hockey continued and played against Marin Catholic on the away team’s field. 

With fires actively burning in the north, the smoke flow likely won’t stop anytime soon, yet administrators hope sports will return soon as the air quality improves. 

According to SF Gate, the “Anvil Fire” ignited in southern Oregon, but has spread to the top of California, sparking a group of wildfires known as the “2023 SRF Lightning Complex and Redwood Lightning Complex.” 

As of Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Anvil Fire spans 14,569 acres and has not yet been contained. The Oregonian TV station KDRV-TV called the blaze “the most concerning fire in the nation right now.” Its initial cause is yet to be determined.