UPDATED: NCCo Air Quality – Unhealthy from Burlington County Wildfire

Image courtesy DNREC

UPDATED -10am – Today is an Air Quality Action Day of Code Red for particulate matter in New Castle County. Smoke from an active wildfire in New Jersey is affecting air quality in the region, creating unhealthy breathing conditions for everyone.

A Code Red alert means the Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached levels between 151 and 200, indicating unhealthy air for all populations, not just those with preexisting conditions. The primary pollutant is particulate matter, or particle pollution, which includes fine particles known as PM2.5 that can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

DNREC urges New Castle County residents to take the following precautions:

• Limit time outdoors, especially for children, older adults and individuals with respiratory or heart conditions. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity, including exercise, yardwork and prolonged exposure.
• Keep doors, windows and vents closed to reduce exposure inside homes and vehicles.
• Wear a properly fitted N95 or KN95 mask if you must be outside. Cloth and surgical masks do not provide adequate protection from fine particles.

“Our monitoring network continuously collects and analyzes data from across the state to measure pollutants like ozone and particulate matter,” said Angela Marconi, director of the DNREC Division of Air Quality. “When unusual events like wildfire smoke occur, we work quickly to communicate what people need to know to stay informed. Today’s Code Red alert is based on real-time monitoring and reflects elevated fine particle concentrations driven by regional wildfire activity.”

Delawareans can sign up for Delaware alerts and check local forecasts at de.gov/aqi. They can check AirNow.gov for real-time conditions. It’s important to check the data as local conditions can change.

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Air quality is being affected throughout New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania thanks to a wildfire that’s burning in the area of the Carranza Memorial in the Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, New Jersey. Named the Mines Sprung Fire – this fire began Friday morning and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service says it has spread to 4200 acres – and is about 40% contained.

Officials have evacuated the Lower Forge Campground and a prep school in the area and say a total of 5 structures are threatened.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.