The many wildfires roaring through America’s West Coast don’t just look scary, they are bad for people’s health, bad for public and private lands, and bad for the economy.
The plumes of smoke have pushed air quality to hazardous levels forcing residents to stay indoors. Now some of the dirtiest air on Earth is wafting along the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles up to the Canadian border. Millions of people are at the mercy of merciless flames.
So far, well over 5 million acres have burned across California, Oregon, Washington State and neighboring Idaho. Many of the fires are still not under control and tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and at least 27 people have died. Many of the survivors have nothing to come back to.
In August, California was pummeled by an incredible heat wave. Temperatures in Death Valley reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit, “possibly the hottest temperature ever […]
I am more worried about my wife’s ability to breath since we have been inundated by the layer of smoke above us which has effected her for the entire length of time since the beginning of the fire. She seems to keep getting worse and we cannot wait until the wind from Canada blows down this week giving us fresher air and blowing off the smoke; at least according to our local meteorologist.