WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Ash particulates have southern Connecticut surrounded.

“It’s a terrible thing,” said Paul Anderson, who lives in West Haven. “We’ve never had to go through this.”

The unhealthy air, paired with high intensity exercise, forced the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference on Thursday to postpone outdoor lacrosse and tennis tournaments for the second day straight.

West Hartford Public Schools canceled all outdoor play and field trips for the day. United Way, Live Nation concerts and Bushnell Park also postponing events.

“I was outside all day yesterday, it was rough,” Joshua Toms, who lives in Wallingford, said. “I had a headache.”

Air quality levels continued to plummet, hitting 171 in New Haven — categorized as unhealthy for everyone regardless of overall health conditions.

Lyman Orchard’s in Middlefield said it saw fewer people picking strawberries, and more going into their store for the pre-packaged baskets.

“There should be no impacts to the strawberries themselves,” said Bill Roehl, who is the store leader at Lyman Orchard’s.

Yale New Haven Hospital said people with lung and heart disease, asthma, COPD and emphysema are at a heightened risk.

Hamden resident Russ Anderson said he has a heart condition and has been limiting his time outside the past few days.

“I’m taking a chance but I should be,” he said. “It does get worse later on in the day when the temperature heats up a bit, but I have been wearing a mask.”

Paul Anderson was also impacted.

“I was out either cooking on the grill, picking up something in the yard. I thought it was very hard. I was coughing a little bit and it was just terrible. It’s affecting a lot of people,” Paul Anderson said. “Stay indoors and keep the windows, shut like we have over the last three or four days.”