On September 8th, a California family was celebrating the reveal of their baby’s gender when the party went awry. The family used pyrotechnics to reveal the gender itself. The explosives caused a fire on the shrubbery near the house. According to the New York Times, within 9 days of the party, the fire expanded over 135,974 acres, burning down over 6,000 buildings within the California, Washington, and Oregon area.

As of September 21, the fires are still raging across California counties. This is leaving California residents very worried about their livelihoods. Many are choosing to leave as soon as possible in order to get ahead of the evacuation chaos, while others are choosing to stick out for as long as they can. Those choosing to stay are boarding their homes, raiding the grocery stores, masking up due to the virus and now dangerous air quality. Air quality is actually one of the biggest concerns for California residents. According to the New York Times, poor air quality can actually cause cardiac and respiratory problems if the exposure is sufficient. In addition to the fires smoke, COVID-19 actually attacks the same areas as the said smoke, making these fires’ environment incredibly dangerous.

If these fires are so dangerous, how do California residents protect themselves? Dr. Mary Prunicki with the New York Times says the only effective way to protect ourselves from the wildfires is to stay indoors. The poor air quality and overall severity of the fires are just too dangerous to venture currently. At this time, it’s important that we keep these poor people in our prayers, stay safe California. To donate to this cause go to the Bay Area Wildlife Relief Fund at www.calfund.org.