Code Purple air quality hits Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun as wildfire smoke continues

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Wildfire smoke from Canada is creating dangerous air quality across Northern Virginia, with Alexandria under a Code Purple advisory and hazardous air quality pockets appearing near parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

What we know:

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a Code Purple Air Quality Health Advisory for the Washington region on Friday, July 17.

Code Purple means the air is very unhealthy for everyone, not just people in sensitive groups.

Smoke from wildfires in Canada is increasing fine particle pollution across the region, creating hazy skies and poor breathing conditions.

Air quality levels can vary by neighborhood and may get worse later in the day as smoke shifts.

AirNow map shows hazardous pockets

The latest AirNow map, updated Friday morning, shows a maroon-level pocket near parts of Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

Code Maroon is the most serious category on the Air Quality Index and means air quality is hazardous.

Much of the surrounding region remains under purple-level conditions, meaning the air is very unhealthy.

Officials are urging residents to continue checking AirNow.gov or local air quality monitors before spending time outside.

Alexandria closes outdoor pools

Due to the Code Purple forecast, Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities announced that all outdoor pools are closed Friday, July 17.

Indoor pools remain open.

Alexandria officials said all summer camp and other outdoor programs will hold activities indoors Friday.

What Code Purple means

At Code Purple levels, everyone may experience health effects.

People should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity, even if they do not have a known health condition.

Sensitive groups should avoid spending time outdoors if possible. That includes young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD, heart disease or other respiratory conditions.

How to stay safe

Residents should stay indoors when possible, keep windows and doors closed and run air conditioning on the recirculate setting if available.

If you need to be outside, keep trips short and avoid heavy exertion.

A well-fitting N95 or KN95 mask can help reduce exposure to smoke particles, but cloth masks are not effective for filtering wildfire smoke.

Officials also recommend bringing pets indoors to climate-controlled areas.

Watch for symptoms

Wildfire smoke can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness or unusual fatigue.

People with asthma, COPD, heart disease or other breathing issues should be especially cautious.

Anyone experiencing chest pain, trouble breathing, severe coughing or symptoms that do not improve should seek medical care. Call 911 for a medical emergency.

What you can do to reduce pollution

Alexandria officials also recommend taking steps to reduce additional air pollution during poor air quality days.

That includes refueling vehicles after dusk, conserving electricity, setting air conditioners to a higher temperature, using public transportation or rideshares and combining errands to reduce trips.
 

Virginia residents react 

What they're saying:

Many residents are heeding the warnings to stay indoors or limit outdoor time. Others are wearing masks to protect themselves from the lingering smoke. 

"Highly recommend it," said neighbor James Matthews. "Just throwing it on like outside as soon as I bought it… I feel much, much better. It's quite brutal."

"I figured I was gonna be in and out for a little bit so I didn't really think to grab a mask. As soon as I came outside I smelled the smoking and saw the haze I was like, I'm not gonna bring my kids out," another neighbor told FOX 5's Bob Bernard.

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