What's That Smell? Maryland 911 Centers Receive Calls About Smoke

Emergency dispatch centers in Howard and Anne Arundel counties have been receiving reports Friday from citizens who have smelled smoke. The smell is coming from out of state, Howard County officials said.

"There have been several reports this morning of an 'outside odor of smoke' to 911," the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reported Friday.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department was also receiving inquiries about the smell, according to ABC 13.

The faint burning odor is the result of a large brush fire in eastern Virginia, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. The department said winds carried the smell to Maryland.

An Army base in Virginia, Fort A.P. Hill, is conducting the controlled burns to clear out undergrowth in an effort to prevent larger woodland fires, according to The Free Lance-Star, which reported the burns would continue through the end of April.