Special air quality statement issued for Calgary amid wildfire smoke

An air quality advisory has been issued for Calgary due to wildfire smoke.

An air quality advisory has been issued for Calgary due to wildfire smoke.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued the advisory just before 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, saying the smoke is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility.

"Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour," Environment Canada said.

"The fine particles in wildfire smoke pose the main health risk. As smoke levels increase, health risks increase."

As of 6 a.m., Calgary's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) was sitting at 7 (high risk).

Calgary's air quality is expected to sit at 8 (high risk) throughout the day, before dropping to 6 (moderate risk) on Friday.

Those most impacted by wildfire smoke are seniors, pregnant women, people who smoke, infants and young children, people who work outdoors, people involved in strenuous outdoor exercise and people with an existing illness or chronic health conditions.