ND Dept. of Environmental Quality urges caution as smoky conditions return

FARGO — Smoky skies are returning to the metro as wildfires in Canada heat up, affecting air quality in the state.

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality says that wildfire smoke from Canada will be making its way to the metro tonight and is expected to be with us for the next couple of days.

On the plus side, the department says they don’t expect it to be as bad as the worst days so far this year.

They are urging people with underlying health conditions to avoid strenuous activity while the smoky conditions persist.

The department’s Ryan Miller says they were hoping the wildfire were dying down for the season before they picked up again this weekend.

“Was kind of hoping things were going to be on the med, if you will,” said Ryan Mills with North Dakota DEQ’s Division of Air Quality. “Most of the stuff in Canada had kind of gone out for the most part, but it looks like this weekend, again, it fired up and it’s on its way.”

Air quality information can be found at AirNow.gov, or visit the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality.