Have the skies looked a little hazy, and the sunsets extra red this weekend?

That’s because strong winds have blown particles and smoke from a massive, rapidly spreading wildfire in north-central Washington state and Canada to Minnesota, which is creating a foggy haze in Minnesota’s skies.

The Washington wildfire is growing, being fueled by gusty winds in the northwest, USA Today reports. Officials say lightning caused the fire, which started Wednesday, and it has destroyed more than 100 homes and several other buildings, the newspaper notes.

The gusty winds that are fueling the fire are also sending smoke and particles across the country.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has a map below of current wildfires in the United States marked with red dots and the smoke caused by the fires is marked in green and yellow. Green signifies thin with smoke, while yellow is moderately dense with smoke.

KSTP meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas says particles are blowing 15,000 to 20,000 feet above the state. Despite being visible, they aren’t affecting the air quality in the state, the National Weather Service says.

In addition to the haze, the wildfires have made for extra-red skies, FOX 9 notes. This is caused by the sun’s rays being bent by the smoke particles in the air, Yuhas says.

Wildfires in Canada have also caused some spectacular sunsets in Minnesota this week.
Some people may also be able to smell smoke from the wildfires, Yuhas notes.
The haze is expected to be gone by Wednesday.

via Wildfires causing hazy skies, vibrant sunsets in Minnesota – Rick Kupchella’s – BringMeTheNews.com