Downtown and much of Jacksonville continued to be blanketed Wednesday as winds pushed smoke from raging wildfires outside the region over the city. The City’s Environmental and Compliance Division issued an air quality alert Wednesday in response. The alert advised children, the elderly and sensitive individuals to avoid exposure by staying inside or refraining from extraneous exercise outdoors. In addition, the City has instituted an open burning ban for Duval County. Daily Record news partner WJXT TV-4 reported that the current air quality is the worst in 35 years.