Holy Smokes - It's Wafted Here from Minnesota!

I went out for a quick walk with my dog yesterday afternoon around 5:00 pm and a woman passed me by and asked "Do you smell smoke?"  Childhood allergies put an end to my nose pickup up anything less pungent than, say, skunk, so I had to admit that I didn't smell anything.

As I got back to my home, my neighbor, Winnetka Village President Jessica Tucker asked if I could smell "that nasty burning smell."  Well, something is clearly up, but I still couldn't smell it. Although by now, I realized I could actually see it

Last night's news confirmed that a wildfire 500 miles away in the Boundary Water Wilderness area of Minnesota (near the Canadian border) was the cause of the acrid burning smell.  The National Weather Service reported that a combination of northern winds and sinking air (?) brought the smell across the country to the greater Chicago area.  

This cloud of smoky air has moved in a straight southerly direction across the entire state of Wisconsin to northern Illinois.  The fire has been dubbed the Pagami Creek fire and was ignited by lightening.  It grew quickly from 11,000 acres to over 100,000 acres and is continuing to spread.

Elderly people and those with respiratory problems are encouraged to stay indoors and avoid physical outdoor activity.