Residents of Delaware County are facing smokey and hazy conditions today from a series of wildfires originating in Canada.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for June 7 from Canadian smoke moving south into the United States and now affecting several parts of Pennsylvania.

Other local areas being affected by the wildfires include the counties of Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia.

“An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher,” the department said in a statement. “On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.”

A Code Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people. If it becomes any worse, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could declare a Code Red, which “warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all”.

Learn more about the area’s air quality at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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