WASHINGTON — D.C. air quality is once again an issue because of smoke from Canadian wildfires. The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov site showed D.C. is under a Code Orange air quality alert for Wednesday.
Code Orange means air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include the elderly, children and people with respiratory issues. Authorities say during a Code Orange alert, you should:
- Avoid outdoor physical activity
- Limit driving if possible
- Avoid using aerosols
- Put off lawn care
Earlier this month smoke from wildfires burning in Canada blanketed the northern United States with smoke, turning the air yellowish gray and prompting warnings for people to stay inside. While Wednesday's air quality is not expected to be as bad, the wildfires continue to burn.
Wildfire Smoke Forecast for the end of June
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported Monday that 76,129 square kilometers (29,393 square miles) of land including forests has burned across Canada since Jan. 1. That exceeds the previous record set in 1989 of 75,596 square kilometers (29,187 square miles), according to the National Forestry Database.
Nationally, there are currently 490 fires burning, with 255 of them considered to be out of control.
Even recent rainfall in Quebec likely won’t be enough to extinguish the wildfires ravaging the northern part of that province, but the wet weather could give firefighters a chance to get ahead of the flames, officials said Tuesday.
Nearly a quarter of the fires burning in Canada are in Quebec.
