Protecting your plants from heat and smoke

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The extreme heat and flames from recent fires make for a dangerous combo. But people aren't the only ones weathering the hazardous conditions.

"Fire got really large — thank god the Jefferson Parish Fire Department were really fast getting over here and taking care of the issue," said Cory Stegman, an employee at Perino's Home & Garden Center.

Perino's Home & Garden Center sits directly behind the building that went up in flames Thursday afternoon.

Stegman said he could see the flames getting closer and firefighters continuously spraying water and for him, that was a scary sight.

"We pulled the plants back, sprinkler system going to town, and we were very fortunate not to have lost anything — maybe a little bit of the shade tarp, but we got out pretty much unscathed," said Stegman.

Minor damages happened to the structure of the building but thankfully the plants were safe.

"You're going to have to suck it up and start watering a little bit more because things are drying out very very quickly," Stegman said.

Extreme heat affects plants differently than humans. But while you're out watering your plants, you, too, can run into some trouble.

"When you're outside in your water and your plants, especially in the daytime, you yourself can get dehydrated and pass out, leading to fractures, which I have seen quite frequently here in the E.R.," said Dr. Courtney Washington. "Water them either early in the morning before the sun comes up or when the sun goes down in the afternoon you have to protect yourself first."