Crime & Safety

Minnesota Wildfires Cause Smoky Smell in Bolingbrook

Residents should expect the sky to appear hazy and the air to smell like a burning odor.

Minnesota wildfires more than 400 miles away from Bolingbrook's borders causing the sky to be hazy and the air to smell like smoke, officials say.

The Pagami Creek Wildfire, in northeast Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, was started on Aug. 18, the result of a lightning strike, according to InciWeb.org, a site, which offers information on the fire. The fire is about 14 miles east of the town of Ely, Minn.

Bolingbrook police Lieutenant Mike Rompa said a cold front moving into the area earlier today blew the smoke from the 60,000-acre wildfire into Bolingbrook.

Find out what's happening in Bolingbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rompa said police have not gotten any calls about the smell.

“The front has transported smoke all the way into Northern Illinois. The smoke will likely persist through the afternoon and into the overnight hours before winds become more westerly in advance of another cold front which will approach early Wednesday morning,” according to the National Weather Service.

Find out what's happening in Bolingbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents should expect the sky to appear hazy and the air to smell like a burning odor.

In Minnesota, crews are working the fire, with airplanes and helicopters dropping water to slow its spread. Hand crews are on the ground monitoring the fire for any spreading, according to InciWeb. The fire grew on Monday, making a 16-mile run to the east and is in excess of 60,000 acres, InciWeb said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.