Smoke from California’s wildfires will harm people beyond the flames’ reach

October 12, 2017

On Monday morning, I opened the door to the smell of campfires — the scent of other Californians’ homes going up in smoke. The air stung my eyes and burned my lungs. It felt like I was breathing through a straw. I rounded up my half-empty inhalers, hoping they hadn’t expired. The next day, the sky turned brown and rained ash on me.