NEW ORLEANS — Many people in the New Orleans metro area woke up Friday to an awful smell of smoke and WWL-TV Meteorologist Payton Malone says it may stay this way through the weekend.
There are currently fires working in St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans East. Depending on the wind direction, different areas are affected.
Friday morning there were reports of a foul smell in Algiers, Marrero and in the French Quarter, the Central Business District and Treme, among other sites. Malone said that wind blowing in a northeast direction is pushing the smoke and smell onto New Orleans’ east and west banks.
A lack of rain is not helping the situation and Malone said none is expected until at least next weekend, but a shift in winds from out of the southeast should make the air quality and smell better early next week.
Air quality is “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in Chalmette, New Orleans and most of the west bank.
Air quality is considered moderate in New Orleans East.
Dr. Corey Hebert though, says anyone can be impacted, especially children. He said clinics across the state are seeing more people coming in for respiratory illnesses.
"People are feeling this when you just walk outside and inhale it... It's an allergen. It's an irritant and the smaller you are, the more you're going to feel it."
Shelley Stiaes who works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Orleans East, said the fire has been coming from a wooded area near Industrial Parkway and Chef Mentaur Hiighway.
And on Wednesday, a marsh fire brought St. Bernard Parish deputies and firefighters to Violet.
"St. Bernard Sheriff's Office Marine Division deputies and St. Bernard Fire Department firefighters worked together early (Wednesday) for several hours to contain a marsh fire in Violet, near the horseshoe," St. Bernard Parish Sheriff James Pohlmann said Wednesday night. "Hot spots are still being carefully monitored."