The Elephant Fire northeast of Loyalton continues to bring smoke into our area.
While it's now fully contained, it is still burning inside the perimeter.
People we spoke with said no matter how many fires they've witnessed, they can't get used to the smoke that blows in.
They say some days it's heavier than others. They really suggest staying inside as much as you can, although the smoke and smell can seem to find their way inside too.
Chuck Marin, a Cold Springs resident, told us, "We get a lot of wind, actually, because it comes down from the mountains and it's all bad for us, so we got to breathe it in. You can smell it in the house, too. The filters don't even work on it, because that's how strong it is."
Some neighbors told us that the smoke affects the amount of time they let their kids play outside, due to the air quality.
Marin also said, "Since it's summer, we don't really want to keep them outside because of the heat and everything, but, yeah, the smoke really gets to them. Well, more of my daughter. She starts with the wheezing and everything."
The weather we've been seeing is also impacting the amount of smoke blowing in.
According to the National Weather Service, the high temperatures in the afternoon have increased the fire's activity, and the winds blowing in from the northwest are causing the smoke to come in through the valley areas.
Those conditions are expected to stick around for now.
Mark Deutschendorf, a Lead Forecaster Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said, "There's not too much change. The main source of relief would be on days when there is less smoke that does get produced by that fire, and then it has a chance to disperse more than it does during the days when we have heavier smoke."
Neighbors suggest having an evacuation plan set with everyone who lives in your house, especially if there's outdoor animals involved.
Andrew Wilcox, another Cold Springs resident, said, "Definitely, if you have horses and stuff like that, if you're in an outlying area, I mean, I'm sure most people already have those plans, but yeah, that's obviously a pretty, pretty big step. You want to make sure you have an area to evacuate to."
Some neighbors suggested investing in an air purifier to keep inside your house, as well as a generator for when the power needs to be shut off for safety reasons.
