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An air quality alert was issued Monday morning for the Myrtle Beach area as firefighters work a third day to fight a 1,600-acre fire in unincorporated Horry County.

The alert has been issued until further notice, and means that the "fine particulate concentrations" in the area may approach or exceed unhealthy standards, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas impacted include Myrtle Beach, Socastee, North Myrtle Beach, Garden City, Little River, Conway, Longs, Bucksport, Loris, Green Sea and Aynor.

Victoria Oliva, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Wilmington, said those in Horry County should limit their time outside as fine particulates from smoke are impacting air quality in the area.

鈥淭here is a concern for lingering smoke, particularly around he Carolina Forest area and Myrtle Beach area until further notice, but definitely through tomorrow,鈥� Oliva said.

An air quality alert states that high pressure over the region is minimizing smoke dispersion from numerous wildfires, which is leading to fine particulate concentrations that 鈥渁pproach or exceed unhealthy standards due to local wildfire smoke in the Myrtle Beach area.鈥� The SCDES recommends that those with respiratory issues limit their time outdoors, close doors and windows and run their air conditioner with the fresh-air intake closed.

Strong winds and a moderate drought led to increased chances of wildfires, and South Carolina was put under a statewide red flag fire alert Friday. The wildfire in the Carolina Forest area was first reported on Saturday. Oliva said winds should be less of a concern Monday and Tuesday and a cold front will bring about a half inch of rain Wednesday.

鈥淟uckily from the weather side of it, today and tomorrow the winds are going to be fairly light. We aren鈥檛 looking at any wind gusts until we see the cold front on Wednesday,鈥� Oliva said. 鈥淪o for the next few days, the winds are light but it will still be a bit dry. Hopefully this gives enough time for first responders to continue to fight the fire.鈥�

Dr. Paul Richardson, Chief Medical Officer of Conway Medical Center, said "thank goodness" the hospital has not seen any patients with illnesses related to the smoke or fire as of Monday morning.

But those with chronic lung diseases like COPD, emphysema or underlying allergic or reactive airways diseases should try to avoid the smoke, Richardson said.

鈥淭hose types of conditions can be triggered by a thicker smoke,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s far as how we can keep ourselves safe, if you have one of those conditions, try to avoid going outside, try to avoid the heavy smoke if possible. I heard reports that some people have evacuated their homes in that area. So those are the main things is avoidance more than anything else.鈥�

He also encourages those with chronic conditions to touch base with their primary care providers or lung specialists, or whoever is managing the condition, to see if the doctors would like to adjust the patient鈥檚 regimen accordingly.

Richardson said the best course of action is avoidance. Masks may help slightly but may be a false sense of security, he added.

鈥淚鈥檓 not aware of any type of mask beyond something like government issued that would be very effective for smoke or inhalant of these levels of particles,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not aware of anything we have at our disposal very easily that鈥檚 going to help a whole lot.鈥�

Carolina Forest-area schools are operating on a normal schedule Monday.

If children need to go home because they are ill from smoke, their absences will be excused, an HCS spokesperson said.

"We are committed to being flexible and working with families today who have been impacted by the fires," HCS spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said in an email. "If families are experiencing challenges due to the fires, we encourage them to reach out to the school to discuss their specific circumstances and needs.

"Also, as a proactive measure, our facilities team took steps on Sunday evening to reduce the intake of outside air into our buildings by adjusting our HVAC systems," Bourcier said in an email. "Additionally, all of our schools and facilities are equipped with Bipolar Ionization filtration units within their HVAC systems to help improve indoor air quality. These units are designed to reduce airborne particles, including smoke and other pollutants."

Here's where to read live updates about the wildfire.