Lately, the smoke has been especially bad in Sunset Country and while it’s annoying – it can also be extremely dangerous when exposed to it for long periods of time. Luckily, there are tools available to you that can help your health.
Special thanks to local resident Gayle of Red Lake, as without her, I wouldn’t have found out about this otherwise! The website is called IQ Air, and it measures the air quality of any location based on a variety of factors. It showcases the current hazards, and what you can do protect yourself.
For Dryden – the current air pollution level is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups (elderly and those with health conditions) and shows that our current pollutant is five times above the WHO exposure recommendation.
Unfortunately, the forecast for air quality in Dryden will continue to get worse over the course of the next week:
For some odd reason, Sioux Lookout isn’t included (sorry!) and will likely follow the same conditions as Dryden. Red Lake on the other hand – not looking so good as the week goes on…
The current fire hazard for Sunset Country continues to worsen. A restricted fire zone went into effect on June 30th, and was just recently extended into the Thunder Bay District.
The Municipality of Red Lake also states that an evacuation order may go into effect in the next few days, as RL Fires 77 and 16 continue to grow. Get the latest details here.
Stay safe Sunset Country!
