Air quality alert in place for parts of southern Manitoba
Wildfire smoke can be harmful to health, even at low concentrations, Environment Canada says
An air quality alert is in place for the second consecutive day in parts of Manitoba due to smoke from Alberta's fires — but the affected region is different from what it was on Monday.
A swath of southern Manitoba, from just west of Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan border, is under alert on Tuesday, whereas areas of central and northern Manitoba were impacted on Monday.
The current alert area stretches from Riding Mountain National Park south to the U.S. border and from the Saskatchewan border east to Winnipeg.
The smoke is drifting in from Alberta, where 90 wildfires were burning across the province on Monday afternoon, with 23 of them out of control.
Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone's health, even at low concentrations, the Environment Canada alert says.
People with lung disease, such as asthma, or heart disease, as well as older adults, children, pregnant people and people who work outdoors are all at higher risk of experiencing health effects.
People respond differently to smoke, and mild irritation and discomfort are common.
Anyone whose breathing level becomes uncomfortable should stop or reduce activity, the weather agency says. Drinking lots of water can help your body cope with the smoke.