If you stepped outside Friday, you probably noticed how bad the air quality was in the Phoenix area.
A no-burn day was issued on Thursday but it seems like many people ignored the advisory. The no-burn day continued on Friday.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has issued a High Pollution Advisory for Fri., Jan. 1, 2016 for fine particulate matter. Maricopa County said it's a combination of smoke and fireworks from New Year's Eve.
A few neighborhoods in the Valley including Mesa and south and west Phoenix ventured into air pollution levels that are considered "very unhealthy." The worst, with the highest reading, was around North 39th Avenue and Earl Drive in Maryvale.
Our #Valley air quality was so bad today, some neigborhoods were comparable to #Beijing! #phoenix #abc15wx #azwx pic.twitter.com/sV10u0YkMF
— Amber Sullins (@AmberSullins) January 2, 2016
ADEQ recommended Friday that the general public limit outdoor activities, but that did not stop some hikers on Piestwa Peak, who said the brown cloud of smoky haze made the Valley look "kind of cool" because some of the skyscrapers in downtown Phoenix were barely visible.
Resident in far East Mesa, Fountain Hills, North Scottsdale, Carefree, Surprise and Buckeye all had "good" levels when it came to air quality.
The no-burn day alerts ended Friday, though. Maricopa County says it is OK to burn wood on Saturday.
On Saturday morning, air quality was back to mostly "good" and "moderate" levels.
Click here to see current air quality levels in your neighborhood
