Smoke from a fire at a Walmart distribution center has made the air less safe to breathe in Indiana counties surrounding Plainfield.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management sent out an Air Quality Action Day alert for Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks and Marion counties.
READ MORE: Firefighters battle 5-alarm warehouse blaze in Plainfield
Particle pollution is mostly caused by power plants, industries and cars. It’s been linked to health problems like asthma and heart attacks — and can be especially dangerous for people with heart and lung conditions.
IDEM said the fire put more particle pollution into the air.
The agency said the air quality is expected to be better on Friday.
Among other things, the agency recommends using less electricity, making fewer car trips and avoiding any unnecessary fires.
Contact Rebecca at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.
Indiana Environmental reporting is supported by the Environmental Resilience Institute, an Indiana University Grand Challenge project developing Indiana-specific projections and informed responses to problems of environmental change.