Northeastern University has announced Friday they will temporarily close their Seattle campus due to worsening air quality caused by the rampant wildfires across the west coast. 

The closure is expected to have a “limited impact” on students since the campus already has Hybrid NUflex virtual classes in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to News@Northeastern. 

Dave Thurman, regional chief executive officer and dean of the Seattle campus, told News@Northeastern that the choice was made to close campus after they received an emergency alert from the state’s Emergency Management Division. The alert stated that a “super massive cloud of smoke” from the California and Oregon wildfires would settle over Seattle as the wind changed direction. 

Thurman said Northeastern would follow state and Environmental Protection Agency guidance on when to reopen campus, but the city’s air quality is expected to improve within the next few days.