With Monday morning skies that could look and smell like smoke, the Maryland Department of Environment has issued a Code Orange and Code Yellow air quality alert for Baltimore and its surrounding counties due to wildfires “uncontrolled” at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Harford County.

Air quality alerts will last until at least noon, according to the MDE.

Code yellow means the air quality poses a moderate risk to people sensitive to air pollution, according to MDE. Code orange means the air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children and adults with respiratory and heart conditions.

Harford and Cecil counties and the northern part of Baltimore County are code orange. Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Frederick counties are under code yellow, along with the northwest portions of Montgomery and Howard counties.

With the assistance of the National Guard, Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire and Emergency Services were battling multiple fires Sunday afternoon, according to a Facebook post from emergency services.

The Aberdeen Proving Ground public affairs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The wildfire started Thursday, a day before the Maryland Department of Natural Resources implemented a statewide burning ban. Dry and windy weather conditions coupled with foliage on the ground make the weather ripe for wildfires.

“The ban follows particularly dry conditions over the past few months,” department spokesperson AJ Metcalf said. “And this led to many dry leaves forming on the ground. If an open fire goes sideways, there could be a wildfire.

The fires at the Proving Ground have spread to more than 100 acres, the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company said in a Facebook post. The message explained that the Proving Ground is a U.S. Army testing facility used to evaluate weapons.

“By the very nature of these testing activities, fires are inevitable, especially in drought conditions like those we are currently experiencing,” the message read. “Due to the very large number of live unexploded rounds within firing range, it is far too dangerous to send ground personnel to extinguish fires. APG has a “Let it Burn” policy for ranged shooting, unless the situation gets out of hand. »

The fires created a plume of smoke that blew west toward Edgewood, White Marsh and greater Baltimore Sunday evening, according to MDE. This caused some people to see and smell smoke Monday morning, although it was expected to disperse later in the day.

Last October was one of the driest on record in the Baltimore area, said Austin Mansfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

There is a slight chance of rain around Baltimore on Wednesday and Thursday, he said, but temperatures will reach record highs near 80 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday.