Smelling smoke when you step outside? The odor is probably from a wildfire burning hundreds of miles away.

Southerly winds are bringing smoke northward from a forest fire in Eastern North Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. Dubbed the “Last Resort Fire,” the blaze was 5,200 acres in size as of 4 p.m. Sunday, the North Carolina Forest Service reported.

The fire was raging Tyrrell County, an area to the west of the Outer Banks beach town Nags Head. No injuries had been reported, and no structures were threatened, the forest service said, and the cause was under investigation.

On Monday, a burning smell was discernible from parts of Howard County and Catonsville, with air quality reports showing moderate levels of air pollution to the south and west, in parts of Montgomery and Frederick counties.

rachel.mull@thebaltimorebanner.com