The National Weather Service on Monday morning issued a special weather statement cautioning Chattanooga area residents of low visibility and health hazards due to heavy smoke from area wildfires.
Visibility could be near zero is some areas, the statement said.
With the longtime drought continuing, woods fires have been burning thousands of acres in East Tennessee.
Officials said 90 percent of the huge Flipper Bend fire at North Chickamauga Creek is contained after it burned over 1,000 acres.
Just half of the Mowbray Mountain fire, scorching 625 acres, is under control.
There is a new fire on Poe Road between Flipper Bend and Mowbray with 300 acres burning. It was just 15 percent contained as of Sunday.
Erlanger Hospital officials said 19 additional patients with shortness of breath as their primary complaint were treated since Friday. The total from Nov. 1 to Friday was nearly 100.
The latest forecast for Chattanooga lists a 30-percent chance of showers on Friday night and on Saturday.
Here is the statement:
AREAS OF SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES WILL LINGER ACROSS THE EASTERN TENNESSEE VALLEY AND SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS TODAY AND TONIGHT... SEVERAL WILDFIRES ACROSS THE REGION ARE PRODUCING AREAS OF SMOKE...REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO ONE MILE OR LESS LOCALLY AT TIMES...AND PRODUCING UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY CONDITIONS. AREA RESIDENTS AND VISITORS SHOULD REMAIN INDOORS OR LIMIT THEIR TIME OUTSIDE TO AVOID EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE TO THE SMOKE. THOSE SUFFERING FROM BREATHING AILMENTS WILL ESPECIALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WINDOWS ARE CLOSED AND AIR INTAKE SYSTEMS ARE SHUT DOWN. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION...PARTICULARLY IN AREAS NEAR WILDFIRES WHERE DENSE SMOKE AND FOG COULD DROP VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO THIS MORNING. AN AIR QUALITY ALERT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY ON MONDAY. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION AND THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY WEBSITES AND FACEBOOK PAGES.