Air quality alerts in Minnesota due to Canadian wildfire smoke
Air quality alerts in Minnesota due to Canadian wildfire smoke 01:16
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to give an update on Thursday morning on the state's response and recovery efforts in the weekslong fight to contain several wildfires near the Arrowhead region.
How to Watch
When: 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 29
Where: Department of Public Safety, St. Paul
Who: Gov. Tim Walz and leaders from several state agencies
How to watch: You can watch live on CBS News Minnesota, on Pluto TV or in the player above
As of Thursday morning, the National Interagency Fire Center reports the fires now cover about 30,000 acres:
Firefighters have made big progress since the fires broke out around May 12, and all evacuations were lifted on Memorial Day.
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WCCO
Canadian wildfires could lead to another smoky Minnesota summer
Crews are also battling huge wildfires just north of Minnesota in Canada's Manitoba province, where officials declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after 17,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Minnesota is bracing for another summer of smoke, similar to what the state experienced in 2023 when Canadian wildfires led to 22 days of air quality alerts. Smoke created hazardous smog over cities, making it unhealthy to even be outside at times.
Alerts are in effect until Friday evening in northeastern Minnesota, with the Twin Cities even expected to see some haze by Friday.
This story will be updated.
Stephen Swanson
Stephen Swanson is a web producer at CBS News Minnesota. Stephen was a floor director for a decade before moving to the WCCO-TV newsroom in 2011, where he focuses on general assignment reporting.