Effective Tuesday afternoon, and thanks to shifting winds out of the east, the air quality statement for Swift Current and the southwest has ended.

The majority of smoke from forest fires in British Columbia has mostly cleared out of the region and only a slight smokey haze remains - a small enough amount to no longer warrant an air quality statement.

Environment Canada was calling for hazy conditions to dissipate later this week, but to end the statement just into the second day is welcoming news to residents of the southwest.

As forest fires continue to burn on the west coast, there is no word yet if a shift to winds out of the west could signal a return of the air quality statement.