By Emma W. Barhydt
A yellow-gray haze settled over Greenwich on Wednesday, July 15, as smoke from wildfires in southern Ontario drifted into the Northeast. The plume dimmed the afternoon sun and pushed fine-particle pollution across Connecticut to levels considered unhealthy for some residents.
Connecticut officials identified fires in southern Ontario as the source, with northwesterly winds carrying the smoke across the Great Lakes and into New York and New England. More than 830 wildfires were burning across Canada this week.
The visible haze was accompanied by elevated levels of fine-particle pollution at ground level. Wildfire smoke contains PM2.5, particles small enough to travel deep into the lungs and aggravate heart and respiratory conditions.
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued a statewide air-quality alert for Wednesday and Thursday. Forecasts for Fairfield County placed Greenwich within air-quality conditions ranging from “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” to “Unhealthy.”
An AQI between 101 and 150 is classified as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,” meaning children, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity. An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered “Unhealthy.” At that level, some members of the general public may also experience health effects, and sensitive groups face a greater risk.
Because smoke conditions can shift as winds change, residents should check current readings through AirNow and DEEP’s daily Connecticut forecast before spending extended periods outdoors.
The smoke arrived while Greenwich was facing a separate concern closer to home: drought. Fairfield County is under a Stage 2 drought advisory, an awareness level used when an emerging drought may begin affecting water supplies, agriculture, and natural ecosystems. The state cited below-normal precipitation, low streamflow, groundwater and reservoir conditions, and increased wildfire danger.
Aquarion’s watering schedule belongs within that broader drought picture. It is an annual conservation program rather than a new emergency restriction, but the company has urged closer compliance as rainfall deficits and low reservoirs place more pressure on local supplies.
Greenwich customers with even-numbered addresses may use sprinklers Sundays and Wednesdays, while odd-numbered addresses may water Saturdays and Tuesdays. Properties without street numbers follow the Sunday and Wednesday schedule. Sprinkler use is limited to before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.; drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and hand watering are allowed at any time.
Aquarion has imposed additional temporary restrictions for customers near the North Street bridge by Cotswood Road, limiting irrigation on designated watering days to between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. until further notice.
The dry spell also affects fire risk. Connecticut’s primary wildfire season usually occurs in spring, when dead leaves remain exposed before new growth fills in; however, prolonged summer drought can recreate some of those conditions by drying grass, shrubs, leaf litter, and fallen branches.
Wildfires are not confined to western states or Canada. Connecticut recorded about 256 wildfires in 2025. In New York, forest rangers extinguished 65 wildfires covering more than 215 acres during the first six months of 2026. Most northeastern fires remain much smaller than the large incidents seen in Canada and the West, but they can still spread rapidly and threaten homes, roads, and utility lines.
According to DEEP, most of Connecticut’s 2025 wildfires were caused by uncontrolled debris burning and campfires. Other causes included smoking, power lines, and equipment use. A spark from a mower, chainsaw, vehicle, or discarded cigarette can ignite dry grass or leaves, while hot ashes can retain enough heat to start a fire days after they appear cool.
The day-to-day danger depends on more than drought alone. Wind, humidity, temperature, and the dryness of available fuels all affect how quickly a fire may spread. A National Weather Service Red Flag Warning is issued for a specific period when weather and fuel conditions combine to create critical fire danger; it is not a designation that remains in place throughout a drought.
Fire danger can change from one day to the next as wind, humidity, temperature, and vegetation conditions shift. Before using a fire pit, bonfire, charcoal grill, or other outdoor flame, Greenwich residents should check current National Weather Service alerts, DEEP’s Forest Fire Danger Report, the statewide air-quality forecast, and any town emergency notices.
Greenwich strictly prohibits open burning under town ordinances. That includes burning brush piles, leaves, grass, and other yard debris for disposal, so the residential brush-burning permit system used in some Connecticut towns does not apply in Greenwich.
The town treats fire pits, bonfires, and grills separately from prohibited open burning. They may be restricted through a temporary local burn ban when conditions become dangerous. State guidance also prohibits recreational fires that create a nuisance for neighbors and limits them to clean, non-processed wood. Garbage, leaves, construction debris, and painted, stained, glued, or treated wood should never be burned.
Fire prevention does not require a long checklist. Clear dry leaves, pine needles, and other debris from gutters, decks, porches, and beneath structures. Cut back dead vegetation near homes, garages, and sheds. Keep grills and fire pits away from siding, overhangs, branches, and dry ground cover, and never leave an outdoor flame unattended.
Ashes should be placed in a lidded metal container outdoors, away from buildings and combustible material. Avoid mowing tall, dry grass or using spark-producing equipment during windy afternoons. Postpone outdoor fires when vegetation is especially dry, even when no formal warning is in effect.
Anyone who sees a grass or brush fire should call 911 immediately. A fire that appears small can move quickly once wind carries flames or embers through dry vegetation. Residents should move away from smoke and flames, keep roads and driveways clear for emergency vehicles, and avoid trying to control an uncontained fire with a garden hose.
Wednesday’s haze came from fires hundreds of miles away, but it highlighted two conditions Greenwich residents should watch separately: the air they are breathing and the local fire danger created by weeks of dry weather.
