A mysterious fiery rash has broken out in a smoky California suburb and the residents there are itching to know what is causing the uncomfortable malady, KOVR-TV reported.
Many of the residents complained that the rashes occurred last weekend when several grassfires broke out near Rancho Cordova, California, the television station reported. Jenni Matamoros went to Facebook to complain about developing the rash after returning from a barbecue with her husband.
"I just kept itching my chest and I felt really hot," Matamoros wrote, according to KOVR-TV. "Nothing had been different, so I started asking could it be something in the air with the fires or this weird smell in the area, that's when I did the post.
"I said it can't be something I ate because I hadn't eaten in hours. So I wondered if anyone else in the area was feeling the same thing? or having these same reactions, and that's when I was completely overwhelmed," she continued.
Other neighbors, like Tamara Steinhoff, has similar reactions after going for a walk last Friday, KOVR-TV reported.
"I was burning itching scratching, blisters all over my face, my neck," Steinhoff said, according to the television station. "All of a sudden I started burning, feeling like I was itching, my throat was starting to close, felt like I couldn't breathe."
While a cause for the rash outbreak has not been determined, dermatologist Dr. Emmanuel Maverakis, told KOVR-TV that poison oak could be one possibility.
"Poison oak can travel through the air, the allergens are so strong that they can create an allergic response, but everyone has a different sensitivity," Maverakis told the television station, adding that poison oak reactions typically happen 24-48 hours after exposure.
Grassfires have hampered the area in recent week. According to the Sacramento Bee, firefighters tackled a 30-acre east of Rancho Cordova at the end of June. The Sacramento Metro Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and the cities of Folsom and Ione helped extinguished the fire.
Sacramento Metro Fire told KOVR-TV that none of its crews have been affected by the rashes.
"None of our firefighters are experiencing the symptoms that these neighbors have felt," Sacramento Metro Fire spokesman Chris Vestal told the television station.
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