DEQ Forecasts Code Purple Air Quality in Western NC Due to Wildfires

Smoke from South Carolina wildfires has the potential to create very unhealthy air quality in Transylvania County on Thursday, and other nearby counties may also experience unhealthy air quality from smoke. Residents are urged to take precautions.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is issuing the following Air Quality Action Day forecasts:

• Code Purple for Transylvania County
• Code Red for Henderson, Swain and Polk counties
• Code Orange for Rutherford County

These forecasts begin at midnight tonight and will remain until midnight Thursday night, but may be modified or extended. For the most up-to-date air quality forecast information, visit the Air Quality Portal.

Code Purple is very unhealthy air quality. The general public is urged to avoid long or intense outdoor activities. Sensitive groups particularly susceptible to health impacts, including children, older adults and people with asthma or heart conditions, should avoid all outdoor physical activity in these conditions.

Code Red means prolonged exposure to the air may be unhealthy for anyone. All residents should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors and taking more breaks. Anyone sensitive to air pollution should avoid long or intense outdoor activities.

Code Orange signifies air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart conditions should limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, take more breaks and watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.

The Table Rock fire in South Carolina is producing prodigious amounts of smoke that may be carried northward into North Carolina on Thursday into Friday. Additionally, several other wildfires around western North Carolina continue to produce smoke in the region.

Smoke can carry elevated levels of fine particulate matter, or PM_2.5, which consists of particles smaller than the width of a human hair. These particles can reach deep into the lungs and aggravate asthma and other lung conditions and have been linked to heart conditions.

DEQ’s website has a list of resources for keeping safe around wildfire smoke.

State law prohibits the open burning of yard waste or land clearing debris on Air Quality Action Days of Code Orange or above. To report violations of the open burning rules, contact the DAQ regional office that serves your county. This restriction is in addition to any local or state burn bans. The N.C. Forest Service on Thursday issued a burn ban for all of North Carolina.

If you need this information in Spanish or another language, please call 919-707-8446 or send an email to Shawn.Taylor@deq.nc.gov. Information about the Air Quality Index in Spanish is available from the EPA.