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A thick haze hangs over Manhattan, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in New York. Wildfires in the American West, including one burning in Oregon that s currently the largest in the U.S., are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the massive infernos spew smoke and ash into the air in columns up to 6 miles high.
Julie Jacobson/AP
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire incident command, a bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in Klamath and Lake counties, Sunday, July 18, 2021. As more fire personnel moved into the area, the cub scurried down the tree trunk and later left after being offered water.
Harmful particles in wildfire smoke pose a significant health risk
By GILLIAN FLACCUS and SARA CLINE
Published
Harmful particles in wildfire smoke pose a significant health risk
KTVU s Alex Savidge spoke with Michael Benjamin from the California Air Resources Board about the unhealthy particles in wildfire smoke that pose health risks for communities forced to breathe polluted air.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Smoke and ash from massive wildfires in the American West clouded the sky and led to air quality alerts Wednesday on parts of the East Coast as the effects of the blazes were felt 2,500 miles away.
Strong winds blew smoke east from California, Oregon, Montana and other states all the way to other side of the continent. Haze hung over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Western wildfires blow smoke to East Coast, triggering air-quality alerts MarketWatch 5 hrs ago
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. Smoke and ash from massive wildfires in the American West clouded the sky and led to air quality alerts Wednesday on parts of the East Coast as the effects of the blazes were felt 2,500 miles away.
Strong winds blew smoke east from California, Oregon, Montana and other states all the way to other side of the continent. Haze hung over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The nation’s largest wildfire, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, grew to 616 square miles just over half the size of Rhode Island. Fires also burned on both sides of California’s Sierra Nevada and in Washington state and other areas of the West.
The Dixie fire in Butte and Plumas counties has destroyed two structures since its July 14 ignition and is threatening at least 800 others.
David Lawrence, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said wildfire smoke usually thins out by the time it reaches the East Coast, but this summer it’s “still pretty thick.”
In California, a wildfire burning uncontained south of Lake Tahoe crossed the state line into Nevada. New voluntary evacuation orders were issued for portions of Douglas County, Nev.
The Tamarack fire, started by lightning in Alpine County, Calif., has burned more than 65 square miles. Authorities say more than 1,200 firefighters are battling the blaze, which has destroyed at least 10 structures.