Massive wildfires in Los Angeles have caused a hazardous situation, blanketing the area with smoke and ash. The fires have resulted in at least five fatalities, destruction of over 1,000 structures, and widespread evacuations. The smoke poses a serious health risk, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and individuals with respiratory or heart conditions.
Massive wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area have filled the air with a thick cloud of smoke and ash, prompting air quality advisories across a vast stretch of Southern California. Three major fires broke out Tuesday amid dangerously high winds, killing at least five people and destroying more than 1,000 structures. Tens of thousands of people have been told to evacuate, many in harrowing conditions.
In Altadena where one of the major fires raged, the smoke was so thick a person used a flashlight to see down the street. A dark cloud hovered over downtown Los Angeles and smoky air and ash drifted well beyond the city to communities to the east and south. Wildfire smoke increases tiny particles in the air known as particulate matter that can be harmful to people's health. Children, the elderly and people with conditions such as heart and lung disease are more sensitive to the effects. Dr. Puneet Gupta, the assistant medical director for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said wildfire smoke is known to cause heart attacks and worsen asthma, and that burning homes can also release cyanide and carbon dioxide. He said sickened patients are showing up in emergency rooms when hospitals already are full because of flu season, and some hospitals could also face evacuations due to the fires. 'We have a number of hospitals that are threatened, and if they have to be evacuated, it could become a crisis,' said Gupta, also a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians. 'So that is one of the things that we have to consider.' US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra raised concerns Wednesday about the smoke's impact on people's health in the aftermath of fires that have charred massive amounts of vegetation and buildings. 'That air that's being spewed is no longer just the kind of smoke that we used to see from wildfires, where it was natural vegetation that was burning,' said Becerra, a former California Attorney General
Wildfires Los Angeles Smoke Health Crisis Evacuations
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