Erie County Workers Being Forced Inside Due To Poor Air Quality

The wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota has been a major story in Western New York over the last couple of days. Today, it's forcing outdoor workers to work inside.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz orders outdoor workers to go inside

This morning, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that all county workers who normally work outdoors should stop work and return to their permanent indoor work sites for the remainder of the day.

The order follows a reading of the air quality that shows Buffalo in the "Very Unhealthy" category. The AQI reading was at 232 and trending down at the time.

What is causing all the smoke?

The smoke that we're seeing in Western New York this past couple of days is the result of a couple of different fires that are happening north and west of us. Minnesota is currently experiencing some wildfires, and Northwestern Ontario is also said to be fighting around 100 forest fires. Because they're happening in forests in Ontario, they're creating a very large amount of smoke.

Add that smoke to winds that are heading in our direction, and you've got a perfect recipe for smoke filled skies in Western New York.

What do the AQI numbers mean?

An AQI number is a number that represents an Air Quality Index. It's meant to show how clean or polluted your air is.

The numbers correspond with these categories:

• 0-50 (Good): Little or no health risk.
• 51-100 (Moderate): Acceptable for most people.
• 101-150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups): Children, older adults and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor activity.
• 151-200 (Unhealthy): Everyone may begin experiencing health effects.
• 201-300 (Very Unhealthy): Health alert for the general public.
• 301-500 (Hazardous): Avoid outdoor activity.

How long is the smoke expected to last?

Forecasters were saying that we should expect the smoke to last throughout the day on Thursday, but it should begin to clear up a bit for the weekend.