Canadian Wildfires Smoke Reach Madison County

MADISON COUNTY – There have been a lot of talks today on social media about the haze and the smell in the air across Madison County. That haze is from the Canadian wildfires that have been burning since the beginning of May.

Due to these fires, there is an air quality alert for Madison County until 10:00 p.m. Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service said ” An Orange air quality forecast means that maximum ozone and fine particulates concentrations are expected to reach levels that pose a health risk. The conditions will be the worst tonight into tomorrow morning. Adverse health effects increase as air quality deteriorates. Ground-level ozone and smoke are air contaminants which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems.”

Canada is experiencing its most destructive wildfire season on record, as hundreds of blazes burning from coast to coast continue to send plumes of smoke into the air. 

The interagency fire center has recorded 2,956 wildfires since the beginning of 2023. The fires have scorched at least 19.2 million acres of land across Canada this year, according to the center. There were 490 active fires burning in Canada on Tuesday.