DEQ Extends Purple Air Quality Forecasts in Western NC Due to Wildfires; Code Red in Buncombe County

PRESS RELEASE (03-27-2025)

NC DEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

RALEIGH – Smoke from South Carolina wildfires has the potential to create very unhealthy air quality in Transylvania and Henderson Counties on Friday, and other nearby counties, including Buncombe County, may also experience unhealthy air quality from smoke. Residents are urged to take precautions.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is forecasting the following Air Quality Action Days for Friday:

• Code Purple for Transylvania and Henderson counties
• Code Red for Buncombe, Swain and Polk counties
• Code Orange for Henderson, Rutherford and Macon counties

These forecasts will be in effect starting at midnight tonight and remain all day Friday, but may be modified or extended. For the most up-to-date air quality forecast information, visit the Air Quality Portal.

Several Code Purple, Red and Orange Air Quality Action Day forecasts remain in effect through midnight Thursday. (See image for Thursday’s update forecast below).

Code Purple is very unhealthy air quality. The general public is urged to avoid long or intense outdoor activities. Sensitive groups particularly susceptible to health impacts, including children, older adults and people with asthma or heart conditions, should avoid all outdoor physical activity in these conditions.

Code Red means prolonged exposure to the air may be unhealthy for anyone. All residents should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors and taking more breaks. Anyone sensitive to air pollution should avoid long or intense outdoor activities.

Code Orange signifies air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart conditions should limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, take more breaks and watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.

The Table Rock fire in South Carolina is producing prodigious amounts of smoke that may be carried northward into North Carolina on Friday. Additionally, several other wildfires continue to produce smoke in the region, including multiple fires in Polk County.

Smoke can carry elevated levels of fine particulate matter, or PM_2.5, which consists of particles smaller than the width of a human hair. These particles can reach deep into the lungs and aggravate asthma and other lung conditions and have been linked to heart conditions.

DEQ’s website has a list of resources for keeping safe around wildfire smoke.

State law prohibits the open burning of yard waste or land clearing debris on Air Quality Action Days of Code Orange or above. To report violations of the open burning rules, contact the DAQ regional office that serves your county. This restriction is in addition to any local or state burn bans. The N.C. Forest Service on Thursday issued a burn ban for all of North Carolina.