New Jersey wildfire could impact air quality in Connecticut

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes after a wildfire tore through southern New Jersey on Tuesday.

We spoke with experts about what you need to know to stay safe if the smoke makes its way through Connecticut.

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Robert Hansen, assistant professor of chemistry at Quinnipiac University, said while the fire is in New Jersey, it could impact people in our state.

“The greatest impact is air quality,” Hansen said.

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The fire, called the “Jones Road Wildfire,” erupted on Tuesday in Waretown, New Jersey.

This prompted thousands of people to be forced to evacuate their homes and resulted in 15,000 acres already destroyed.

So how can this affect us here in Connecticut?

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“The past few summers we have had wildfires come and go," Hansen said. "The greatest impact is going to be the smoke and particulates that come from those fires and are carried by the wind.”

Christopher Martin, the forestry director from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said these particulates can make it hard to breathe.

“Folks with compromised respiratory systems, the young and very old, and/or people who are healthy who are doing strenuous exercises or are breathing heavily outside," Martin said.

Martin said this time of year is considered our typical spring brush fire season.

“The low relative humidity is because the trees are not transpiring yet and the leaves are not out," Martin said. "And so even the smallest of sparks, even after the day it rains, we call them “one-hour fuels.” They are available and can cause a fast-running ground fire.”

Martin said to be careful when cooking outdoors, avoid hitting rocks when mowing your lawn and use extra caution when winds are blowing hard.

“Better days are coming soon," Martin said. "As soon as these leaves come out on the trees. It’s going to provide the much-needed shade on the forest floor.”