For the past week, the air throughout the Los Angeles Basin has contained unhealthy amounts of soot spread by the fires and strong winds, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The air quality was expected to improve to moderate Saturday in most of Los Angeles County but remain unhealthy for children and other sensitive people in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

For many people, the soot causes temporary headaches, stuffy noses, stinging eyes, coughs and shortness of breath, but for others it can be life-threatening and cause an increase in asthma, bronchitis and heart attacks, the Times said.

The bad air canceled many sporting events, especially for children, although the San Diego Chargers, after much uncertainty, said they would play their Sunday home game against the Houston Texans as scheduled at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers practiced in Tempe, Ariz., because the stadium was used as an evacuation center.