Wildfire smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire could create “unhealthy or hazardous” air quality conditions in Mason County over the next few days.

Air quality has taken a serious hit across the United States as a two-fold blow of wildfires in the West and in Canada have sent smoke pouring across large sections of the country — a problem that’s set to linger for days.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has issued an Air Quality Alert for communities along the Coast, Interior, and High Elevation areas on Wednesday.