India, July 17 -- A first alert has been issued for the Philadelphia area because of deteriorating air quality, following the arrival of smoke from Canadian wildfires and northern Minnesotan wildfires on Thursday, which is anticipated to persist until Saturday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a Code Purple air quality alert for the entire state today. Earlier, Allegheny County was under a Code Maroon alert. A Code Maroon (the most severe) or Code Orange (less severe) alert may be issued today, depending on the specific location.

All residents are advised to refrain from engaging in prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities during Code Purple alerts, as per the DEP.

Vulnerable groups, including c...