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Will air quality at Philly, Bucks County No Kings protests be affected by NJ forest fire?
The wildfire in the Wharton State Forest in Shamong, Burlington County, NJ, has created unhealthy breathing conditions in parts of Bucks, Delaware and Chester counties and Philadelphia. authorities said Saturday morning, June 14.
On Saturday at 10:18 a.m., an air quality alert was reported by the National Weather Service in effect until Sunday at midnight for Bucks County.
'The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Fine Particulates, until midnight EDT tonight,' says the weather service.
Earlier Saturday morning and Friday night, the air quality in Bucks County was reported to be hazardous for sensitive groups as Bucks and Philadelphia were put under the Code Orange, according to overnight readings from a federal website tracking air quality conditions.
The region was reported to have "hazardous" air, the most serious rating on the air quality index for ozone pollution and particles are capable of traveling into the deepest parts of the lungs.
Late Saturday morning, the most hazardous air conditions were reported to be moving south of Bucks County and Philadelphia, which is hosting the nation's 'flagship' No Kings protest.
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The forecasted Saturday rain will also help dissipate the bad air conditions, according to CBS Philadelphia.
The wildfire, reported by a private pilot on Friday morning, had burned approximately 4,200 acres, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. It said firefighters were "making progress" in containing the blaze.
The Mines Spung Wildfire was burning near the Carranza Memorial. The stone monument honors Emilio Carranza Rodriguez, a Mexican aviator who died in a crash at the Pinelands site in 1928.
The blaze forced the evacuation of the Costello Preparatory Academy, a state-run community home for males ages 15 to 20 with a history of substance abuse. The facility has about 30 residents, according to the state Attorney General's Office.
The fire's cause was under investigation.
Jim Walsh of contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey forest fire affects air quality in Bucks County, Philly
