BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. Even miles from the front lines of the multiple wildfires burning on the Western Slope, the Front Range can see and feel the effects.The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regiona l Air Quality Council issued an air quality alert for the area Monday afternoon, warning that hot, smoky conditions and ozone concentrations could be unhealthy for already vulnerable groups. The alert lasts through Tuesday afternoon.In Boulder County, some residents say they're feeling the impact of a week of smoggy skies."It's caused me to stay inside a little more," said Boulder County resident Ben Radius. "And you know, to keep my phone closer, just to make sure if any updates come through Watch Duty App or any local Facebook groups that I can see them.Radius is already wary of wildfires. He and his wife were forced to evacuate their home in 2021 due to the Marshall Fire. Since then, he says the two have kept a list of what to grab should they need to leave without warning. Watch Alex Dowd's report in the player below: Wildfire smoke impacting air quality"We started at the top with things like birth certificates, passports, tax information, and then the list kept going down to things that could be replaced more easily," he said. "It really helped cut through the stress that we had when trying to figure out what to pack while we were going to be evacuating."Those staying in Boulder County are preparing to deal with the smoke for a while.At Boulder-based McGuckin Hardware store, they're already in the thick of their busy season."Busy season is definitely April through December," said marketing coordinator Korinne Bishop. "That's when the spring season starts. We have plants, flowers... Everything's blooming." A new section of the store is starting to see some business this season, too: their air purifier aisle."Year-round it's allergies, so students living in dorms with just poor window quality, poor air quality, a lot of smells on the floors," Bishop said. "During the summer seasons when the air quality worsens just due to fires starting, that's definitely when people start looking for them."People like Jane Carpenter Cohna longtime Colorado residentwho was buying the air purifier to take with her to a retreat in the mountains.She was already having trouble sleeping because of the smoke in Boulder and said the conditions were worse higher up."When the windows were open in Boulder, I had to close them because of the smoke," she said. "The smell of the smoke was quite strong."During the year, McGuckin Hardware sells about a dozen air purifiers each month. When wildfires start in the state, that number can top 100.Bishop says they're expecting a busy summer.To see your city or county's air quality index and warnings, check here. ...read more read less