Wildfire smoke disrupts Philly events, trash pickup

Philadelphia is shifting some operations due to the poor air quality. City officials say they're open, but with some changes, some service changes. That includes suspended trash pickup, and the pools are closed for the day. Free libraries are open for anyone needing A.C. and a little shelter. So the one-night show for comedian Shane Gillis is still happening as planned. The performance set to kick off to a packed house at The Link at 8 tonight. And Chris, you're there. Fans not shying away despite the smoke. No, keep in mind the air quality is still considered unhealthy for some. And although, Jason, there have been cancellations of concerts and events around the region tonight, there was even a concert canceled for tomorrow at the Dell. Tonight, the comedian Shane Gillis and his fans will show up, 10,000 of them showing up here when air quality in South Philly could be actually worse than it is now. As a layer of Canadian wildfire smoke still hangs over the city... I think they're trying to kill us. ...area residents are dealing with a second straight day of unhealthy air. I feel like wearing a mask could be a shortcut. Who knows how long I might stay outside? And if you stay outside and breathe on, like, the air for too long, it might, like, affect your lungs. For some of the day, much of the city was in a very unhealthy range for air quality. City health officials once again advising the elderly, those with respiratory problems, and pregnant women to stay indoors as much as possible. Our air quality is still unhealthy. Right now, things are better than they have been since last night. As we're learning, this is a changeable situation. The smoke forced the early closure of the Philadelphia Zoo. City pools and splash pads were closed for the day. And this was the city's sanitation yard, filled with trash trucks, as curbside collection suspended for the day to keep workers safe. It had some hauling their own garbage to drop-off sites. Said we're not going to have trash pickup, so instead of just letting it sit, I grabbed my neighbor's trash and mine and just brought it down here. Only takes a couple of minutes. City officials say if the smoke forecast continues to improve, pools will be reopened and trash collection will resume on Saturday. We do plan on working all day, Saturday and Sunday, to ensure that last week's trash and recycling is collected in time for our services to be on a regular schedule starting Monday. Although the city is in a code red, a sold-out crowd is still expected at Lincoln Financial Field for tonight's Shane Gillis comedy show. We've been meeting with all of the different event sponsors and providers and giving them the appropriate guidance, so that they can make those decisions in their venues and their spaces. Well, the smoke is forecasted to stick around tonight. The good news is what you're seeing there. We need some of that wind to blow some of this wildfire smoke out of here. That is the good news. Tomorrow, with those storms, should clear out some of that smoke. However, the bad news, as Drew was saying, it could bring the possibility of severe storms to our area, as the smoke continues to linger here in South Philadelphia tonight.