Commuting - Bicycling Near Fires, Should I?

So, I'm car free and loving it. I live in Orange County, California and yesterday it was extremely dry and windy (with tons of dust). Today it's still dry and windy, but now there are several fires in South Orange County and in San Diego. My heart and prayers goes out the person's family who died yesterday.

My question is with all this smoke, and wind, should I bike 20 miles to school. I can barrow a friends car. I love to bike to school, but is it worth it? I'm leaving in about an hour, so what should I do?

Orange County Wind and Smoke Advisory (http://www.weather.gov/alerts/ca.html#CAZ042.SGXNPWSGX.120000)

Article on the fires (http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212110447.shtml)

Thank you,
-Jai

**edit** I'm in no real danger of the fire itself. I am not that close. My only concern was the smoke.

Frankly, I'd consider whether or not there was a possibility of being trapped by the fire. A wildfire can move really, really fast and can trap motor vehicles. A bike is inherently slower and the chances are much higher of getting into a situation you can't get out of.

Bike!

People in Greece this summer were caught in fires--while driving their cars and were killed. There were a bunch of cars involved.

Biking in will give you a good feel for the situation. You might have to go back. Don't think you are safe in a car, if the fires get out of control.

Frankly, I'd consider whether or not there was a possibility of being trapped by the fire. A wildfire can move really, really fast and can trap motor vehicles. A bike is inherently slower and the chances are much higher of getting into a situation you can't get out of.

I won't be that close for it to be a concern. My concern is just with the wind and the smoke.

Thank you,
-Jai

I work near the city of Poway(just declared local state of emergency) and I made a personal decision not to go to work. NOT WORTH IT!

work just called me to confirm that there's no work.

If your not sure whether to go to work or not. Stay home. Be Safe.

I didn't bike in today because of the smoke and 40+ wind. I would say wait it out.
My commute is 20 miles round trip along a two lane rural road that gets a lot of Semi truck traffic.
I didnt want to take a chance and become a pancake. I hope this all ends soon, however I'm taking advantage of the down time and doing some maintanance.



Hey 531phile,
I miss going to Kobey Swap meet. That place rocked, always something good to find!!

So I drove, it was a good decision because the smoke would have killed me (not literally). Thanks for you guys help.

-Jai

I biked into work today. I did bike slower than usual due to the excessive amounts of smoke in the air.

My question is with all this smoke, and wind, should I bike 20 miles to school.

I'd NOT go to school and keep yourself informed re: the situation out there.

So I drove, it was a good decision because the smoke would have killed me (not literally). Thanks for you guys help.

-Jai

Don't be too sure about that. Santa Ana winds and wildfires usually stir up and contain spores that cause "Valley Fever". For some people, it's fatal, and there's no real cure...for others, they get flu like colds that may last for weeks. Plus smoke isn't too good for your lungs either. Haven't seen many kids ride their bikes today or the past few days around my way and my bike commuter neighbor bummed a ride to work for the next few days.

Just wear an oxygen mask and bike THROUGH the fire really fast. If your going fast enough the fire won't hurt you. You might need to wear go-fasters to achieve this correctly.

Health matters aside, I don't this it's so good for a car's paint job to be exposed to such hot dusty winds. (I'm always looking for ways to justify biking!)

My question is with all this smoke, and wind, should I bike 20 miles to school. I can barrow a friends car. I love to bike to school, but is it worth it? I'm leaving in about an hour, so what should I do?

I'm of the opinion that -- in situations like this -- if you have to ask, you already know the answer.

Worst case scenario from not making it to work until this calms down, or finding another solution that keeps you out of harms way (combination of public transit and the bike?) is that you get fired. The worst case scenario for riding along the wrong road at the wrong time is that you die. Hmmm...job or death? Not a close call for me, either.

In case the situation is same tomorrow: I rode this morning to Metrolink but by the afternoon it was so bad I called my wife to come get me from the station (Irvine). It was hard to breathe as it was, leave alone breathing harder if on the bike. Not worth it--stay home and catch up with all those papers you were going to leave for the last minute :)

I heard on the news that some lines of the Metrolink are closed due to power outages.

Sorry, I didn't see this until now. I have family in Cali (Lake George) and they were saying that they saw what remained of 2 separate motorcycle accidents on the road. One got blown over by the wind and one got hit with a rock that was hurled by the wind. :eek:
You made the right call by driving!!

Back in Montana there were fires almost every summer. Last year was really bad and had to walk to work instead of biking. My lungs couldn't take the smoke inhalation.