The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter (PM2.5) for Thursday.

Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota will be entering Pennsylvania’s northernmost counties and pushing into southern counties Wednesday afternoon into Thursday, creating Code Red concentrations of PM2.5.

Residents are strongly encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.

During Code Red Air Quality Alerts all residents should consider limiting their outdoor activities, and sensitive groups such as children, elderly residents, and those with respiratory illnesses should avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider moving activities indoors.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Alert areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:

— Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment;

— Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use; and

— Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Alert is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.