People throughout the region are seeing a haze and smelling smoke in the air.

The cause is wildfires in Quebec, Canada, according to the Monroe County Emergency Management.

“Due to the wildfires in Quebec, Canada, National Weather Service –Mount Holly has forecasted Monroe County will experience hazy, smoky skies through sunset tonight into tomorrow morning,” the county said.

“Monroe County OEM & 911 are urging residents to be discerning when calling to report smoke conditions to prevent overload on 911 system. If residents visually observe a fire or emergency they are urged to call 911 immediately.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter for Wednesday in Lehigh County.

Smoke due to wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Wednesday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities