At 1:30 p.m., the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an Air Quality Alert for much of Minnesota, including Wright County, until 6 a.m. Thursday, July 22.
Most of the state is in Code Orange, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups that include those with asthma or other breathing conditions, people with high blood pressure or heart disease, children, the elderly and all people doing extended or physical activity outdoors.
The Air Quality Alert was issued due to a combination of factors, including widespread wildfires in the western U.S., significant fires and smoke from blazes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota and Canada and consistently hot temperatures with low humidity and little wind.