Meteorologists say a jet stream helped spread the smoke. Officials are urging those who are sensitive to smoke to stay inside. During the 5 p.m. news, ABC7's meteorologist Jerry Taft said, "Northwest wind blowing the smoke in and over parts of Chicago and that will start to go away in the next couple of hours as the winds die down."
The smoke is from the Pagami Creek forest fire near Ely, Minnesota. A lightning strike sparked the blaze on August 18, and it has spread to 60,000 acres in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is near the Minnesota-Canada border. Due to the dry conditions, the fire raced 16 miles east in a single day from Monday to Tuesday. More than 200 firefighters are involved in the effort to strike the fire.
