PHOTOS: Canadian wildfire smoke blankets Shenandoah area
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Heavy smoke blankets the Shenandoah Valley, seen from Shenandoah Heights, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
SHENANDOAH – As firefighters across Schuylkill County battled several smaller wildfires of their own Tuesday, thick smoke from larger fires in Canada began to blanket the region.
The heavy smoke limited visibility greatly in the Shenandoah, Ringtown, and Mahanoy valleys late Tuesday.
Over 400 fires are burning across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. About 150 of those fires are in Quebec, and the smoke from those fires has drifted south into the northeastern United States and into our region.
The smoky conditions pose air quality risks and DEP has issued Code Orange advisories for Wednesday in the Lehigh Valley, Berks County, and the Harrisburg region. The DEP does not monitor air quality or issue advisories in Schuylkill County or counties north.
Mahanoy Area will not serve summer lunches at their off-site locations because of the smoke conditions predicted for Wednesday. The district said lunches can be obtained at the elementary cafeteria, via the pool entrance, between 11am and noon, and must be eaten in the building.
The Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management asked residents not to call 911 for the ongoing smoke condition, and only call 911 if you see visible fire.
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