Triad meets Code Red as smoke builds from a Canadian wildfire

Particulate matter levels topped the Code Red threshold of 150 late Thursday afternoon in Winston-Salem and were expected to continue rising throughout the triad.

The Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection issued an alert warning that Code Red conditions were likely to prevail throughout Triad Thursday.

The alert included Forsyth, Guilford, Alamance, Davidson and Randolph counties.

Fine dust particles contained in the smoke can be inhaled deep into the lungs and in some cases enter the bloodstream.

“Some members of the public may experience health effects,” advised Environmental Assistance and Protection. “Members of sensitive groups may have more serious health effects.”

Vulnerable groups – including children, older adults and people with heart and lung conditions such as asthma – are advised to limit long or intense exertion outdoors and take frequent breaks from physical activity.

The level of particulate matter in Guilford County was 135 late Thursday afternoon. That’s in the code orange range, which could affect children, older adults and those with respiratory illnesses.

Large amounts of smoke were expected to remain in the triad overnight Thursday and early Friday before easing on Friday night as a weather system encroaches into western North Carolina, Environmental Assistance and Protection said.

The triad is forecast to have code orange particle levels of 125 on Friday. Moderate values ​​below 100 are expected at the weekend.

Due to the extreme drought, 490 fires are burning in Canada, with 255 said to be out of control. According to the Canadian government, a record 30,000 square miles of the country burned, an area nearly the size of South Carolina.