While we just experienced the Strawberry Moon with last week’s full moon, this orange sun in Beacon, the Hudson Valley and New York City is a result of the wildfires burning in an “out of control” state in the Canadian province of Québec, according to many news reports including NPR. Other neighboring states are also effected, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as southern states including North Carolina.

Locally, the Beacon City School District canceled any outdoor activities for Tuesday, including daytime recess for children. Field Days, the anticipated water sport and Bouncy House days scheduled for the end of the year each year, are being rescheduled, according to correspondence from Superintendent, Dr. Landahl. Some sports leagues, including Travel Soccer, who play on school property, made the voluntary decision to cancel practices.

According to NPR, the Canadian wildfire season has been particularly bad. In the report, according to Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair, 2,214 wildfires have burned across Canada this year alone, charring 8 million acres. The country is currently battling 413 wildfires, 249 of which are categorized as out of control, and an estimated 26,000 people remain evacuated from their homes.

Across Québec, more than 150 fires are raging, many of which are burning out of control, according to the province's forest protection service. Patch reports that 110 of them are out of control. Québec City is 450 miles from Beacon.

Why The Air Quality Alert?

While some say that it looks like dusk or apocalyptic all day, with the sunlight tainting orange through the hazy clouds, there are physical reasons for the quality of the air being compromised from the Canadian smoke.

According to Patch: “Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution — known as “PM 2.5” — which can irritate the lungs.” The media outlet quoted Dr. David Hill, a pulmonologist in Waterbury, Connecticut, and a member of the American Lung Association's National Board of Directors: “We have defenses in our upper airway to trap larger particles and prevent them from getting down into the lungs. These are sort of the right size to get past those defenses,” he said. “When those particles get down into the respiratory space, they cause the body to have an inflammatory reaction to them.”

The smell of smoke has been more noticeable in Beacon on Wednesday than prior days, and the wind is blowing. As reported by Patch, “the atmospheric conditions in the upper Midwest creating dry, warm weather made it possible for small particulates to travel hundreds of miles from the Canadian wildfires and linger for days,” according to Trent Ford, the state climatologist in Illinois.

“It’s a good example of how complex the climate system is but also how connected it is,” Trent said.

Safety Recommendations During This Wildfire-Based Air Quality Alert

Wear a mask if you are doing yard-work. Consider not sweeping the driveway.
Skip the leaf blowing and weed whacking part of lawn-care, as the particles will add to the other particles from the fires.
Wear an N95 mask if you’re more comfortable.
Ask your doctor if now is a good time to take your inhaler, and renew your prescription.
Watch for signs to nebulize your children, if they are having mystery coughs. Ask your pediatrician if nebulizing them is a good idea for any possible asthma cough.
Stay inside in air conditioning that is recirculating if possible.
Now is a good time to re-consider getting an HVAC system if you haven’t yet.
Live in a pro-active way to protect and respect the environment to reduce the reasons we are having extreme swings in heat. Start composting!
Encourage other countries to send personnel and technology to put out the fires.
Pray for rain in Canada.