As the wildfires in California rage on, the country is doing everything it can to try and extinguish the fires and salvage as much as it can. The fires have devastated hundreds of thousands of people’s lives, and they continue to spread as the government Does everything it can to extinguish them.

When fires get out of control like this and continuously burn, there’s no doubt that it’s going to have some effect on the atmosphere and in general, the air quality in the surrounding area.

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But as the smoke rises, and that particulate matter travels through the air, the worry becomes increasingly bigger that these fires are going to have negative health impacts on people in other states, including Michigan.

This is not the first time that wildfires from California had the possibility of affecting Michigan's quality of life, as they dealt with this issue back in 2023. Ann Jeffers, who is an Engineering associate professor and fire science expert, wrote an email to Michigan Daily in 2023, expressing how fires, much like the ones California is facing now, could impact us:

Particulate matter, especially PM2.5 or particles less than 2.5 micrometers, can be quite high in wildfire smoke. PM2.5 are tiny particles that can enter the bloodstream directly and cause significant health effects. The air quality warnings in Michigan in 2023 reported very high levels of particulate matter, leading to air quality advisories that recommend staying indoors and wearing an N95 mask when outside

As of now, no reports have been made that show that we are in danger yet, but that could change if they continue to have problems putting out the fire.

7 Unsuspecting Items That May Spark Wildfires

With extremely dry conditions across the state, the Michigan DNR is reminding residents of the following everyday items that may accidentally spark a fire.

Gallery Credit: Lauren Gordon

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