North Florida has been swallowed by smoke from all sides.
The Tuesday morning haze was from several fires in the area. Tim Hayes, deputy fire chief for Gainesville Fire Rescue, said there are no active fires in Gainesville, and the closest smoke has been coming from fires in Bradford County.
Smoke has also been churning out of the 3,800-acre Big Gum Swamp fire in the Osceola National Forest and the 250-acre Long Tram fire 200 miles west of Lake Butler.
The U.S. Forest Service fire in Big Gum Swamp is not producing heavy smoke, according to a notice from the Suwannee Forestry Center.
But, the notice said, the Long Tram fire is not contained and is sending fairly heavy smoke.
Some of the smoke also comes from swamp fires in Georgia, Hayes said.
The Honey Prairie fire in Georgia is in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, according to the notice from the Suwannee Forestry Center.
Those fires are mostly debris fires that are large and difficult to put out, Hayes said.
He suggests people stay inside where air is filtered, especially asthmatics, those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and others with respiratory problems.
People who know they have breathing conditions should avoid being outside for a long time or at all because it can cause an attack, said Preeti Jois, medical director of the Chest Pain Emergency Room at Shands Hospital.
"Be careful with the smoke," Jois said. "There could be fungus in the tree and now that's in the smoke."
She said allergens in the smoke can affect the receptors in the lung tissue, which will make it harder to breathe.
As a runner, she said those planning to exercise should know it will be more difficult to breathe.She said the smoke makes for a lower quality workout, so those planning to be outdoors should be cautious against straining themselves.
Jois said studies have shown that chronic exposure to toxicants in concentrated smoke will cause lung tissue damage.
Johnathan Vega, a junior criminology major, said he has not been bothered by the smoke or smelled it.
"You can only see the smoke in the distance," he said.
Michelle Novoa, a freshman health science major, said she rarely notices the smoke but did this morning.
She said at first she thought the smoke and its smell was from construction near where she lives a few blocks from campus.Novoa said she realized when she came to campus and still smelled the smoke that it must be something else.
"When I bike, I feel it in my lungs," she said.
