smoke News

Wildfires Are Taking an Unexpectedly Huge Toll on America’s Lungs

During the 2018 Camp Fire, which lasted 17 days and killed 85 people, residents of nearby Northern California communities breathed in enough smoke to equal half a pack of cigarettes. Many of the questions being asked then sound eerily familiar …

Australia Urges 240,000 to Flee as Winds Fan Huge Bushfires

Australia urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as authorities said the next few hours could be “very, very challenging” even as rain poured down in some parts. Defense …

Wildfire Emergency Declared as Heatwave Grips Australia

Australia’s most-populous state has declared an emergency as a heatwave that’s produced the hottest day on record exacerbates devastating bushfires. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned of extreme wind conditions and surging temperatures that would make efforts to battle …

There’s a 60,000-Year-Old Way to Help Stop Australia Burning

Australia’s indigenous people say the bushfire-ravaged country is paying the price for ignoring their expertise in managing the ecology of the world’s-driest inhabited continent. The fires have already burned more than 6 million acres — an area the size of …

Probe Can’t Determine Cause of Minneapolis High-Rise Fire

MINNEAPOLIS — Fire officials said Monday they could not determine the exact cause of a high-rise apartment fire that killed five people last week in Minneapolis and that a handful of factors may have contributed to igniting the blaze. The …

Air Quality Plummets as Wildfire Smoke Hits Alaska’s Most Populous Cities

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Smoke and soot from central Alaska wildfires have afflicted the subarctic city of Fairbanks with some of the world’s worst air pollution in recent days, forcing many residents indoors and prompting one hospital to set up a …

Brush Fire Evacuation Closes 2 Southern Calif. Amusement Parks

LOS ANGELES — A brush fire raging along a Southern California riverbed prompted the evacuation of two nearby amusement parks on Sunday, but no homes were threatened and no serious injuries were reported, authorities said. The blaze erupted at about …

Parts of Ohio Hospital Evacuated Because of Smoke

Authorities say an electrical fire led to part of a western Ohio hospital being evacuated on New Year’s Day and a firefighter treated for injuries. Dayton fire officials say it happened at about 5:30 p.m. when a fire started inside …

Heat and Smoke Make Things Miserable in California

Sweltering heat and a blanket of smoke from California wildfires are making it a miserable week for Sacramento residents. The Sacramento Bee says wildfires burning in most every direction are sending smoke into the region. Day care centers are keeping …

Fire Damages New Hampshire Sorority House

Fire officials say no one was injured in an evening blaze at a Dartmouth College sorority house in New Hampshire. The Hanover Fire Department said a house member at Epsilon Kappa Theta discovered the fire before 6 p.m. Saturday and …