Bay Area residents smelling smoke from northern wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Fire officials say that the smoke smell that Bay Area residents have reported is coming from the wildfires burning in Northern California and should linger all day on Saturday.

Police and fire departments from across the Bay Area were inundated with 911 calls, with people saying they were smelling and seeing smoke. "We tweeted out this morning that unless you actually saw a fire, if you actually saw flames call 911, but otherwise don't call 911. We talked to our partners in the immediate area, Moraga, Orinda and a couple of the other fire departments and let them know what we were doing and they tried to engage people in the same way," Contra Costa Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said.

Officials say concentrations of smoke may vary depending upon location, weather and distance from the fire. Those sensitive to it should stay indoors.

PHOTOS: Smoke visible from Jerusalem Fire in Lake County

For more stories about the wildfires breaking out across California, click here.