MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers have closed the Miller Park roof before their game against the Colorado Rockies due to the lingering smoke from a wildfire burning in Minnesota.

Strong winds brought smoke and haze from the blaze nearly 400 miles southeast. Park officials say they closed the roof well before players arrived Tuesday afternoon and closed the outfield panels to the park about 3 hours before the first pitch.

There still was a haze inside the ballpark at game time, but the smell of smoke was not prevalent inside the way it was outside the 10-year-old stadium.

The fire started Aug. 18 with a lightning strike 20 miles from Ely, Minn., but only began spreading quickly this week in windy, dry conditions. The fire raced 16 miles east in a single day from Monday to Tuesday.