Air quality alert extended through Saturday, Planet Fitness offering free entry in response


NORTHEAST INDIANA (WPTA) – An Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) first issued on Thursday has once again been extended as Canadian wildfire smoke continues to move through the area.

After another hazy morning, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) announced Friday that the alert is now in place through 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, June 7.

IDEM says the air quality alert is in place for the following areas in northeast Indiana:

  • Angola;
  • Auburn;
  • Decatur;
  • Fort Wayne;
  • Hartford;
  • Huntington City;
  • LaGrange;
  • Marion;
  • Portland;
  • Wabash;
  • and all other cities within the area.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued the AQAD because ozone levels are expected to be in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range.

“Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.”(IDEM)

The department says smoke from the ongoing Canadian wildfires contains harmful particles and toxic pollutants, contributing to the buildup of unhealthy ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter.

You can read more here. Indiana residents can also visit SmogWatch.IN.gov to view air quality information for all Indiana counties, including a state map of affected counties.

In response to the unhealthy air quality, the following Planet Fitness locations are offering free access now through Sunday, June 8:

  • Fort Wayne – 7528 S. Anthony Blvd., 6360 W. Jefferson Blvd., 4530 Maplecrest Rd. and 1916 W. Dupont Rd.
  • Columbia City – 490 W. Plaza Drive
  • New Haven – 701 Lincoln Hwy. W
  • Auburn – 1040 W. 7th St.
  • Huntington – 230 S. Jefferson St.

“With the state being under an air quality alert due to the Canadian wildfires, we want to provide an indoor exercise option so people who normally exercise outdoors can avoid unhealthy air quality levels,” Impact Fitness CEO Adam Willaeys, a Planet Fitness franchisee, said.

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