Canadian wildfire smoke prompts air quality alert issued for Kentucky

Wildfire smoke from Canada triggered air quality warnings Wednesday in Kentucky. The Bluegrass state is the furthest south to be significantly impacted by smoke, causing public officials to urge residents to stay indoors when possible.

Louisville and Lexington, the state’s largest cities, saw Air Quality Index levels above 180, which is considered “unhealthy” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

The recent bout of smoke has caused air quality to dip drastically all across the Midwest, from Iowa to West Virginia. As of Wednesday, Detroit has the worst air quality in the U.S., being labeled “hazardous” by federal regulators. Indianapolis and Springfield, Ill., also have “hazardous” air quality designations.

The Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet put out an alert over the air quality Wednesday, telling Kentuckians to limit their activity outside when possible.

Wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes and exacerbate health problems for those with breathing difficulties.

Earlier this month, another wave of smoke turned East Coast cities’ skies orange in a haze. On Tuesday, Chicago was under the “very unhealthy” designation and had the lowest quality air in the world.

“Unhealthy” air quality designations are present from Des Moines, Iowa, to Buffalo, N.Y., as Canada is hit with hundreds of simultaneous wildfires.

More than 482 wildfires are burning across Canada, according to national authorities, with 253 of them considered out of control. Nearly 30,000 square miles of land have burned so far this year.