Smoke from Canadian wildfires prompting alerts. An ER doctor offers his advice.

There were hazy skies over the metro on Saturday and indeed over much of Minnesota.

“You can barely see the skyline,” explains Bria Knorr, from Minneapolis. “It’s kind of hidden behind an orange haze.”

That haze is a smoky fallout from Canadian wildfires.

Our northern neighbor is battling the second-worst wildfire season on record.

“I’ve lived in Minnesota my whole life, and only in the last few years have had to deal with these days you can’t go outside or you’re reluctant to go outside,” Knorr says.

Experts say the whole state is impacted, with unhealthy air in northeastern Minnesota, including the North Shore and northern Wisconsin.

It’s unhealthy for some farther south, including the metro.  

“If you have to go outside, you might consider wearing an N95 mask,” notes HCMC Emergency Physician Stephen Dunlop.

Some people were wearing masks Saturday, but Dunlop says the best medicine is to limit your time outdoors.

“Sometimes people are going to go out, and trying to exert themselves or do yard work, these things certainly put you at risk when the air’s like this,” Dunlop added.

“Well, we’re retired nurses, so we agree with that,” said Janice Kuball from St. Paul. “Especially if you have any respiratory issues, you should stay indoors probably.”

Experts say seniors and the very young are the most vulnerable.

Knorr and her family, including her 5-month-old baby, are keeping their outdoor time short.

“We were debating whether we wanted to be outside or if we should go home. We decided to just go for a short walk,” said Ardeshir Ebtehaj from Minneapolis.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has issued a Forecast First Alert through Sunday. Click here for the latest updates.