Visitors enjoy Northwest Indiana beach despite air quality warnings
WHITING, Ind. (CBS) -- More than 70 million people are under air quality alerts because of smoke from out-of-control wildfires in Canada.
Winds have been pushing that smoke farther south. Washington, D.C. was getting the brunt of the harmful air on Thursday. But the concern stretches over thousands of miles, including parts of Northwest Indiana.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot had more on the impact of all that smoke.
The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., was barely visible as a thick, smokey haze converged on the Atlantic seaboard. Philadelphia was under an air quality alert, meaning the air was considered unhealthy to breathe.
"The health of our residents and workers is paramount," said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. "Philadelphia, please take good care of yourselves and look out for each other."
The smoke impacting the air quality stemmed from more than 400 wildfires burning in Canada. Over half were burning out of control.
There was also an air quality alert for Northwest Indiana, though you wouldn't know there was concern just by looking at the air. It can still be dangerous for people with respiratory issues.
But many people didn't let the alert stop them from walking, biking, and enjoying the park and the beach in Whiting.
Bryan Flecha brought his 3-year-old son to the park.
"Everytime I get a chance, this is a wonderful place to bring the kids," he said. "It's real peaceful and yeah, just feeling blessed, blessed for this day."
Ashley Hilton told CBS 2 why she was out despite the air quality alert.
"I guess, to each, it's how they feel coming out," she said. "I mean it's a beautiful day as you can see out here so it's worth a shot to come check it out."
Hilton's 3-year-old daughter Vera had two things on her mind that she wanted to do at Whihala Beach.
Vera: "I want to go in the water!"
Hilton: "What are you going to do in the water?"
Vera: "I want to build sandcastles."
The air quality alert in Northwest Indiana was not expected to impact the Gary Rail Cats game on Thursday night.