For most people, the pale shroud of smoke that's hanging over the Grand Strand is a curiosity, at most an annoyance.

For Tony Wellington of Dillon, it was a bit more ominous. Friday morning, he drove through the kind of thick fog and smoke that the U.S. Forest Service calls "superfog" on his way to North Myrtle Beach and it was not a fun trip.

"It was real risky. You couldn't hardly see the car in front of you."

Wellington and a group of eight friends are vacationing on the beach over the July 4th weekend. None of them suffer from respiratory issues that might cause breathing problems from the smoke, but Wellington was pleased to see it clear up slightly as the day progressed.

"I'm glad it's broke up some though because it looked like a rough weekend for everybody."

The smoke is coming from a wildfire in Pender County, North Carolina that has already destroyed some 30,000 acres.

NewsChannel 15's First Alert Chief Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski says a northeast wind is pushing the smoke toward the ocean and from there, a seabreeze is directing it back toward the Grand Strand.

Myrtle Beach allergist Dr. Mark Schecker says anyone who suffers from chronic respiratory illnesses should take extra caution while the smoke is in the area.

"That would include asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis," Schecker said. "Also people with other chronic illnesses, particularly cardiac problems and the elderly, should be careful in conditions like this."

Schecker said the best way for people with those conditions to avoid problems would be to stay indoors as much as possible.

"You want to be in an air conditioned environment, some sort of filtered environment. If you're driving in your car, you want to keep your windows closed as well. Close your vents, keep your air conditioning running as well."

If you have to be outdoors during smoky conditions, Schecker said you should limit the amount of time you spend outside as much as possible.

"If you have a respiratory problem, you need to be monitoring yourself closely and at the very first signs of a problem, you really again need to look for the exits and get back indoors."

This is not a time for asthma patients to be skimping on their medications, Schecker said, and they might want to consider a special treatment plan with preventive medicines.

People with respiratory conditions might experience chest tightening or difficulty breathing when particulate matter from smoke is high, he said. Those with asthma or emphysema might feel wheezing or coughing.

"Any of those things are a sign that you really need to start getting into a safer environment," he said.

Midday is the worst time of day for those with chronic illnesses to be outdoors during smoky conditions. Schecker suggests limiting outdoor activities to early in the morning or late at night.

Due to lingering smoke from the Pender County fire, the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index for July 1st ranks most of Horry County and the Pee Dee region in the Unsafe for Sensitive Groups range, with an AQI score of 101 to 105.

The EPA describes the AQI as "a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern."

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says the secondary effects of wildfires, including air quality, can sometimes be more damaging to health than the fire itself.

DHEC has information about protecting yourself from wildfire smoke here.