Watch CBS News

Wind Pushes Smoke From Minnesota Fire Over Michigan

TRAVERSE CITY (AP) - A smoky odor in parts of northern Michigan may have caused people to think there was a forest fire nearby. In fact, the fire was hundreds of miles away in northern Minnesota.

The National Weather Service says northwesterly winds from a cool front that blew in Monday night brought smoke from a fire that's been burning nearly a month in the Boundary Waters wilderness area of Minnesota. The fire was ignited by a lightning strike Aug. 18 and has grown to about 60,000 acres.

Forecaster Mike Boguth of the weather service office in Gaylord said Tuesday the smell was strong in his area. It also was noticeable in Traverse City.

In the Marquette area, the weather service reported ash falling from the sky and reduced visibility in some places.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.