Thousands of Americans urged to avoid outdoors in California

Thousands of residents in California face potentially unhealthy levels of air pollution early Saturday morning, a live map from AirNow shows.

The map shows an area of fine particle (PM2.5) pollution in the “unhealthy” Air Quality Index (AQI) category over parts of Plumas and Sierra Counties, encompassing towns including Portola, Cromberg, and Calpine.

At these air pollution levels, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that sensitive groups avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider rescheduling moving them indoors.

The EPA also advises that the remainder of the population reduces long or intense activities, and to take more breaks during outdoor activities.

This is a developing story. More to follow.