Last Thursday, a fire erupted in Butte County and is still burning, its hazardous smoke making its way to the Bay Area. Hazy skies can still be seen throughout the day with the pungent smell of soot lingering in the air.

The continuous fires have not only caused health issues for the affected areas but are creating worry for cities farther south. The smoke has created major cause for concern as the air quality reached over 151 on the AQI last Friday afternoon, hitting the Unhealthy zone. Today, SCHS reached the Unhealthy zone at 169 and did their best to move outdoor activities inside.

On Monday, several SCHS students came across and spread a digital petition on Change.org  called “Keep Us Safe: Unhealthy Air Quality Should Cancel School For Bay Area.” Created by Bay Area residents, the petition began as a way to shut down schools in Marin County, but as it gained more support, it spread to postpone all schools in the Bay Area.

At the publication of this article, there are approximately 89,000 signatures, and one county, Sonoma, complied to the request and closed over 20 schools. The petition urges those who signed to contact school superintendents and principals to bring awareness to the health issue. SCHS sophomore Mariel Santiago signed the petition right away, putting her health first.

“I have asthma, which is greatly affected by the smoke. Sometimes I even have difficulty breathing,” Santiago said.

Suffering from her asthma throughout middle school, Santiago must be even more careful now with the wildfires occurring throughout California.

“The wildfires are honestly frightening, especially [since] they are becoming more frequent,” Santiago said.

Similar to last year’s fires and spreading of smoke, SCHS has taken precautions to keep students safe on campus. All outdoor PE classes were moved indoors, and this year’s CCS football game was moved from last Friday evening to this past Monday.  Today, students were allowed to eat their lunch inside the halls to limit the amount of smoke inhalation.

Upon signing the petition, users are required to state their reason for supporting it. Below the petition concerns of worried parents and students can be seen.

“I’m signing this because [I] almost passed out yesterday walking to my classes,” one student wrote on the petition.

The smoke is visibly noticeable and worries some SCHS students as the fire continues and the air quality remains poor. Activities have become limited and students have to settle indoors to wait for the air to clear.

“In regards to the recent fires and smoke, it’s terrible for the people that have had their homes burned down and suffered from it,” junior Nathan Kuo said. “I’m thankful that it hasn’t affected the Santa Clara area as much.”