Monterey hospital sees a 10% rise in cases related to Soberanes Fire

The emergency room has gotten a bit more hectic at one area hospital.

Since the Soberanes Fire, the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) has seen an uptick in the number of cases directly related to the growing fire. CHOMP is located on Holman Highway in Monterey, and is the closest major hospital to the Big Sur area, where the fire has grown to 51,000 acres as of Thursday.

Places such as Carmel Valley have been the hardest hit when it comes to air quality. Over this past week Carmel Valley air was in the “red” or unhealthy zone – with occasional improvement depending on wind patterns – according to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.

“We’re up about 10 percent from normal,” said Dr. Brian Neal Harris, MD an emergency physician at CHOMP. The cases are split between members of the public and firefighters. As of Thursday there were 5,552 firefighters from all across the state battling the fire