Wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are affecting air quality across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, impacting health and comfort of people in the area.
That includes Karen Eagle, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Duluth, who is tracking the air quality situation. Eagle also has asthma, and she said heading to work Tuesday morning was not easy.
"I was overwhelmed with the smoke when I walked out this morning. It took my breath away, literally," Eagle said.
The Greenwood Fire, the main wildfire affecting the Boundary Waters, doubled in size Monday evening and is now estimated to cover more than 19,000 acres, Eagle said.
According to federal air quality maps, all of Douglas County in northwestern Wisconsin had an "unhealthy" air quality rating on Tuesday, as well as northern Burnett and Washburn counties.