New air quality alert for parts of Minnesota

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a new air quality alert for northeast Minnesota due to the wildfires burning in Canada.

It starts at 1 a.m. Tuesday, August 5 and runs until noon on Wednesday, August, 6. People in Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth and the Tribal Nations of Grand Portage and Fond du Lac will be impacted.

Air quality is expected to reach the orange AQI category which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. It may aggravate people with heart and lung disease as well as cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Symptoms could include chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and fatigue.

RELATED: How Minnesotans are coping with an air quality alert from Canadian wildfires

Officials say the wildfires in Canada have burned about 15 million acres in total, which is about the size of the state of West Virginia. Each province and territory has their own approach to how they manage wildfires, as international crews continue to help.

RELATED: Protecting yourself during times of poor air quality 

CLICK HERE for the latest air quality updates from the MPCA.
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