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‘It is kind of smoky outside;’ Air Quality Alert issued for parts of region Tuesday

DAYTON — Parts of the Miami Valley are under an Air Quality Alert all day Tuesday as smoke from wildfires in Canada is making its way into the Miami Valley.

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An Air Quality Alert has been issued for Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, and Preble Counties, according to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.

It said on social media the smoke from the Canadian Wildfires is settling into the Miami Valley Regional resulting in high PM 2.5 levels.

The smoke also made for a hazy sunset from our News Center 7 Weather camera Monday night.

News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis spoke with Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County on Monday about how people can stay safe Tuesday.

It was difficult to see the haziness at night, but it was not hard to miss it if you stepped outside Monday.

“It was like a fog over the whole city,” said Ian Wisniewski of Kettering. “It was like a cloud that’d come down.

That’s how people described the haziness in the air on Monday.

“It is kind of smoky outside,” Jaylynn Crutchfield.

“It’s just very, I would say gray in a subtle, but yet beautiful and enlightening way, not depressing,” said Osara Osemwote of Dayton.

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Lewis also spoke with Dan Suffoletto, Public Information Manager for Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County. They run the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency and monitor the air in several counties in the Miami Valley.

“Currently, we are experiencing unhealthy air here in the Miami Valley. And that’s being caused by smoke that is coming from wildfires that are burning in Canada and that’s settling here in the Dayton area,” he said. “So, what that means for individuals is that they’re at risk of having some breathing difficulties, particularly people who may have diseases such as emphysema or asthma. This smoke can irritate them even further and cause further breathing difficulties.”

News Center 7′s weather cameras captured the haze covering the Downtown Dayton skyline.

Suffoletto told Lewis he recommends people keep their windows shut and run the air conditioning if they are trying to stay cool.

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He also wants those susceptible to breathing difficulties to stay indoors.

“It’s recommended that those people stay indoors as much as possible until the levels come down,” he said.

“I’ve never seen haze like this.”

Lewis says the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency checks the air hourly.

You can check the Air Quality Index in the area by visiting this website.

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