The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert through Wednesday for much of the Philadelphia region due to expected effects of wildfire smoke from Nova Scotia.
Sensitive groups should take precautions if going outdoors, according to the NWS of Mount Holly New Jersey.
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a “Code Orange Air Quality” alert due to fine particulate matter associated with the fire for much of the region including the Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley-Berks and Susquehanna Valley areas through Wednesday.
Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis are vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality and should limit outdoor activity, according to the state DEP.
In Delaware, the Division of Air Quality said air quality was acceptable but there may be a risk for for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Where is Nova Scotia?
The wildfire on Canada’s Atlantic coast has damaged about 200 houses and other structures and prompted the evacuation of 16,000 people, many of whom were eager to return Tuesday to see whether homes and pets had survived.
Firefighters worked through Tuesday night to extinguish hotspots in the fire that started in the Halifax area on Sunday, Halifax Deputy Fire Chief David Meldrum said. He said it was too early to give an exact count of homes destroyed, but the municipal government put the toll at about 200 buildings.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
Shark watch:OCEARCH-tagged great white shark Penny reaches NJ after traveling past Delaware
Alert:Boil water advisory lifted in Claymont as problems fixed
