LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A plume of thick smoke moved into Southern Nevada after 8 a.m. Monday, reducing air quality to "hazardous" levels.
That means everyone, even healthy people, should limit outdoor activity. Keep windows closed and let the filters in your home, your office, and your vehicle clean the air.
Short-term forecast models suggest the smoke will thin out later this afternoon, but as long as it smells smoky, people should stay indoors.
The smoke is also delaying nearly 300 flights into and out of Harry Reid International Airport. Out of those 297 flights, 142 are departing out of Las Vegas.
The FAA has issued an advisory due to the smoke/low visibility. This could cause slight delays, so travelers are encouraged to check with their airlines for flight status.
The smoke plume is from the Gifford fire, located in the Sierra Madre Mountains near Santa Maria, California; that's about halfway between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
The fire began on Friday and has grown explosively since then; as of Monday morning, the fire was 65,000 acres and only 3% contained.
