When Will Burlington County's Air Clear Up As The Canada Wildfires Rage On?

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Much of South Jersey's air has been deemed unhealthy to breathe Thursday as smoke and haze continue to travel from the wildfires in Canada. While officials expect conditions to improve soon, it's uncertain when the air quality will reach safe levels.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued air quality alerts for the entire state, effective all day Thursday. Northwestern Burlington County has a "Code Red" alert, indicating "unhealthy" air quality. The southwestern portion of the county has a "Code Orange" alert, meaning the air still carries health risks for all but is labeled "unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The air quality alerts remain in effect until the end of Thursday, at midnight.

• Read more: NJ Air Quality Index To Hit Triple Digits Thursday: See Forecast

Western New Jersey remains the most vulnerable Thursday because of the smoke's path into the state. AirNow.gov, which reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), projected western Burlington County at 155 on the AQI scale for Thursday — the higher end of totals labeled "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

Environmental officials expect the air quality to improve Friday, with Burlington County's AQI value reducing to 85, or "moderate" levels of air pollution. Under moderate conditions, unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

It's uncertain when Burlington County's AQI value will fall between 0 and 50 — "good" air quality with no expected health impacts. AirNow.gov's forecast only extends through Friday.

The National Weather Service expects New Jersey's smoky and hazy conditions to persist into Friday, before a chance of showers and thunderstorms this weekend.

AirNow.gov recommends the following actions under code-red conditions:

People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens:

• Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
• Keep outdoor activities short.
• Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.

Everyone else:

• Choose less strenuous activities, such as walking instead of running, so you don’t breathe as hard.
• Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
• Be active outdoors when air quality is better.

The code red alert impacts Camden, northwest Burlington, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Salem, Sussex and Warren counties.

Territories under the code-orange alert include southeastern Burlington, Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth, Hunterdon, Morris, Ocean and Somerset counties.

Wildfires have burned over 19 million acres since the start of the year, roughly 6.3 million of which were in Quebec, according to Accuweather. As of Thursday morning, Canada has 500 active wildfires, including more than 250 deemed out of control, ABC News reports.

The frequency, extent and severity of wildfires mark important indicators of climate change, environmental officials say. The peak of the nation's wildfire season is also occurring earlier — peaking in August from 1984-2001 and then in July from 2002-20, according to research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.