Wildfire smoke prompts red/unhealthy air quality warning

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued a red/unhealthy air quality advisory for Tuesday and Wednesday because of continued and worsening wildfire smoke in the Treasure Valley.

The IDEQ listed the air quality index at 151 on Tuesday morning; an AQI between 151 and 200 is considered unhealthy. “Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects,” airnow.gov said .

Air quality is expected to worsen during the morning and evening hours, IDEQ said.

Additionally, all open outdoor burning and indoor/wood stove burning is prohibited in Ada and Canyon counties.

There are several large wildfires burning near the Treasure Valley, including the Bench Lake fire near Stanley, and the Durkee and Cow Valley fires in eastern Oregon. The Durkee fire is the largest among them, having burned 239,255 acres as of Tuesday morning.

The IDEQ recommends taking the following precautions to reduce air pollution and stay safe during periods of poor air quality:

Limit drivingCombine trips and errandsDon’t burn outdoorsReduce time outdoorsLimiting exposure to wildfire smoke.