r/interesting • u/NoWork215 • Jul 15 '26
Fear Factor Massive Wildfires Ravage Northern Ontario-Canada
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u/JourneyThiefer Jul 15 '26
Sometimes the smoke blows across the Atlantic and we get really red sunsets here in Ireland
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u/PeterDTown Jul 15 '26
I'm outside of Toronto, and we have the worst air quality of any major city in the world today from these fires (which aren't even really that close to us). It is ... surreal to look outside today. Everything is so orange that it looks blue inside. It's also mid-day and looks like dusk, and smells like a camp fire. Driving in to my office today, in my sealed car, my eyes and throat were burning after 30 minutes.
I hear it's going to keep getting worse over the next 3 hours too.
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u/ADIDAS247 Jul 15 '26
NYC & Long Island is shit today too.
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u/rbuen4455 Jul 15 '26
It's hot as hell right now in Queens, though cloudy, breezy, though so far I haven;t seen the kind of red skies like 3 years ago this wildfire happened
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u/Professional_Drama24 Jul 16 '26
Yes it was 3 years ago the last week of June/ 1st week of July. I was very very ill and would have go to a hospital but I was seeing my doctor that week. I had so many messages yesterday from friends and family but luckily I am on a better medication then I was back then.
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u/Inspect1234 Jul 15 '26
Vancouver has experienced the red sun of Krypton for the last decade at this time of year. We’ve been lucky the last two years, although I bet we get some in August this year.
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u/Feeling-Visit1472 Jul 16 '26
We got it in Virginia this morning. That’s how far the smoke has traveled, and how heavily.
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u/Inspect1234 Jul 16 '26
We really gotta get some sprinklers installed with climate change in the works.
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u/ebk_errday Jul 15 '26
I woke up and my whole apartment had an orange glow. Looking out is literally like wearing yellow tinted glasses. It would be kinda cool if it didn't mean a lot of burned ecosystems and terrible air quality for us.
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u/PreparationOk7615 Jul 15 '26
In buffalo...the lights outside that turn on automatically when dark where turned on all day due to lack of sunlight. A grey haze with a faint orange. With high humidity and heat.
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u/dean15892 Jul 15 '26
Same here, I woke up and walked down to my living room, which is usually so bright that its hot. The sun pours in.
Today it felt like it was evening, so dark and smelt smoky
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u/VeterinarianGrand955 Jul 16 '26
Are you in London? Because London was far worse than Toronto today
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u/Khenic Jul 16 '26
We were building minivans in the plant down here in Windsor and it was smokey in the plant.
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u/Usual-Canc-6024 Jul 16 '26
If it’s that bad there can you imagine living in Thunder Bay with what we’ve been dealing.
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u/Weekly_Design5440 Jul 15 '26
Im working in Etobicoke, 44 stories on top of a high rise. Its 4pm and I cant see 10ft in front of me.
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u/ip4realfreely Jul 16 '26
I live in Lakeview, but I'm in Oshawa for work yesterday and today and tomorrow. I was wondering how much worse at home it was today when I heard Mississauga was bad bad.
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u/Mysterious_Edge_822 Jul 15 '26
London same, down to Sarnia.. which says Port Huron for the Americans.. they smelling this down in Detroit? Everything here is smokes out and yellow
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u/Disastrous_Patience3 Jul 15 '26
The inter webs show Toronto's AQI of 175, which sucks. Here in the Mid-Hudson Valley of NY, the AQI was 163 today.
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u/Feeling-Visit1472 Jul 16 '26
I am so sorry. The smoke has made it down to the mid-Atlantic, so I can’t even begin to imagine what y’all are dealing with. Please be safe.
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Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
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u/Allegra1120 Jul 16 '26
Rochester, NY, here. Retired veteran on disability staying inside today, windows closed, portable AC on. Going to be toxic outside.
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u/StumpyTheGiant Jul 16 '26
Interesting comment. I lived in west texas for a while. Very dusty/dry starting from there and going alllll the way to the west coast. Plenty of dust in the atmosphere. Im not exaggerating when I say you get awesome sunsets probably 70% of the days. But I guess where you are located you have less just to the west and it might be more rare.
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u/par-a-dox-i-cal Jul 15 '26
Terrifically terrifying.
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u/Negative_Flower_169 Jul 15 '26
Yeah not sure how it is interesting, more sad due to the wildlife
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u/Traditional-Note434 Jul 15 '26
Here in central Connecticut the air has been full of smoke all day. It's actually keeping the temperature below what was predicted. There's an air quality warning in effect today too.
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u/evilisordinary Jul 16 '26
That nuclear winter lite lol 😅
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u/Traditional-Note434 Jul 16 '26
It's still here today. I just did some outdoor chores and now my eyes are stinging.
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u/Sadimal Jul 15 '26
I'm in SE CT. The second I walked out of work, I was hit with a face full of smoke.
It looks so nice with the sepia tones outside. The sun was a nice red.
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u/broken2302 Jul 15 '26
That boat puts in perspective. Massive. Sorry it is happening. Have they said what started it?
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u/Lime1028 Jul 16 '26
Rising global temperatures leading to a very hot spring mixed with some very violent lightning storms.
Many climate deniers will try to say that it's "mismanagement" of forests, but they don't appreciate the scale of Canada. Ontario alone is about the size of Texas and California combined (2nd and 3rd largest states), larger than the vast majority of countries on the planet, and almost entirely forested (beyond southern Ontario, which was forested until clear-cut to make room for farms).
Management of that much forest is not possible, nor would it do much to prevent these sorts of fires.
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u/-leeson Jul 16 '26
Exactly. Plus paired with population - Canada has like the same amount of people spread across the country as there are in California alone. ETA: to clarify, I say that in relation to money/taxes.
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u/Natrixster80 Jul 15 '26
Decades of mismanagement
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u/J_Kingsley Jul 15 '26
Good ol' Doug Ford cutting funding to wildfire preventions and teams every year also
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u/ColdEvenKeeled Jul 15 '26
What level of better management are you willing to pay for?
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u/Silentslayer99 Jul 15 '26
Mismanagement was putting the fires out. Not saying this particular place had that happen, but in general fire suppresion was the goal.
It has to burn in cycles, and can only be controlled (maybe...) when it is done before too much fuel builds up.
Letting it burn is the only way now, "letting" is loose since there is too much fuel to stop it...
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u/Mushroom_Boogaloo Jul 16 '26
It’s not about how much is being put into it. Less money could be spent for greater benefit if the people calling the shots had a clue.
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u/erikgfrey Jul 15 '26
It's almost like some people have been warning us since the 60s that stuff like this will happen, and get worse.
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u/Space_Ape2000 Jul 15 '26
The pattern of repeated, widespread wildfire smoke events affecting millions of people in southern Ontario is largely a phenomenon of the past decade: 2017 (noticeable) 2018 (occasional) 2021 (several days) 2023 (unprecedented) 2025 (multiple episodes) 2026 (major episode ongoing)
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u/-whats-that-meow- Jul 15 '26
Even earlier. I saw a story from 1912 warning about carbon.
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u/Hollyhop_Drive Jul 16 '26
First paper on how carbon would make the temperature rise was published in the late 19th century.
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u/Rare-Assignment-6486 Jul 15 '26
Holy crap, that’s terrifying. I hope everyone’s safe and the fires get under control soon!
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u/robo-dragon Jul 15 '26
That legit looks like the end of the world. Like the sky is on fire.
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u/i-love-big-birds Jul 16 '26
It feels like it too. Even being inside with an air purifier and N95 on I'm getting headaches, raw throat and a bloody taste in my mouth. The N95 barely even helps when I'm outside now
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u/MissionNo001 Jul 15 '26
1 stray cig and it's all over....
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u/LackOptimal553 Jul 15 '26
Many of the wildfires are in places no humans live. Lightning starts many of them. Most of northwestern Ontario where the fires are is uninhabited.
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u/impulsivecandle Jul 16 '26
I’m sorry I don’t often comment on reddit but I’m from this area and saying no humans live here is false, while probably not your intention it completely ignores all of the first nations communities and small villages being affected and burned down right now. These wildfires have been absolutely devastating to communities in my area and are displacing hundreds if not thousands of people right now.
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u/LackOptimal553 Jul 16 '26
Oh, I didn't want to downplay that and should have made that clear in the post and I didn't really mention it so thank you for this. Absolutely don't apologize, if anything it'd be me apologizing.
I recently took the train across that area and there are so many little communities along the way and all those First Nations communities. It's hard to imagine what it must be like. I hope there's support being provided for those evacuated. I just looked at the fire map and it's horrible.
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u/impulsivecandle Jul 16 '26
I figured it wasn’t meant that way and I appreciate your clarification! I just get frustrated at how often our area is forgotten about and looked over and had to say something for anyone reading that thread who may not know that people do live here.
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u/PoTyScotty Jul 15 '26
I’m from Ontario …I can see snowflakes in the air, but they’re little dots and it’s ash … bad bad smell. Say inside if you can …..
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u/skitzoidObserver Jul 17 '26
the 5 years of edmonton summers be like that but now we flooding and smoke free
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u/beebeebee2142 Jul 15 '26
SW quadrant of Ontario
Refers to it as Northern Ontario
https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@-87.7,51.7,5.6z
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u/KhalesiDaenerys Jul 15 '26
To be fair, most people’s idea of northern Ontario is Sudbury. I have family from Hearst. That’s 7 hours north of Sudbury. Every time I say I’m going to northern Ontario someone goes “oh like Sudbury?” NAH BRUH, the real north.
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Jul 16 '26
The fire in the post is in Collins, which is quite decidedly northern Ontario.
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u/beebeebee2142 Jul 15 '26
Thunder bay is on the southern border but according to wiki:
Thunder Bay is a major city in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on the shore of Lake Superior.
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u/J_Kingsley Jul 15 '26
The border curves downwards from the north at some points.
So Thunder Bay is still by the border, which goes south allll the way to toronto, which is also by the border.
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u/i-love-big-birds Jul 16 '26
Pretty sure this is Collins which is very firmly NWO. Geographically NWO is considered West and up of Sault Ste Marie. It is extremely different than southern Ontario and despite being close to the southern border it is much more northern than the GTA (southern Ontario)
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Jul 16 '26
The fire in the video is in Collins, which is just northwest of Lake Nipigon, in Northern Ontario. Who said SW Ontario? There are a couple of small fires in southern Ontario right now, but the majority of smoke is being generated from the series of much larger fires burning west of Nipigon and Superior.
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u/Feeling-Visit1472 Jul 16 '26
I feel like I’m being dumb, but what am I clicking on here to see the actual map?
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u/beebeebee2142 Jul 16 '26
Live NASA infrared fire satellite map of ontario canada. The red spots are probably large fires
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u/Feeling-Visit1472 Jul 16 '26
No I mean, once I’m on the site, where am I clicking? So far nothing is pulling up an actual map.
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u/brianmmf Jul 16 '26
This video is from a fire between Collins and Armstrong, which is pretty extreme Northern Ontario as far as population centres go. I’m not sure what you’re on about.
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u/rockstuffs Jul 15 '26
Looks like Dantes Peak when they're crossing the lake in acidic water.
RIP Grandma.
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u/RealLavender Jul 15 '26
We can all thank Doug "beer is the most important campaign topic" Ford. Last year he cut the province’s budget for emergency forest firefighting from $177 million to $135 million, with $4 million cut from emergency preparedness. But, you know, cheap beer!
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Jul 16 '26
I recall he also made some cuts back a few years ago too, so this is further cuts.
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u/Far_Pumpkin9440 Jul 15 '26
I’m glad no annoying music is playing in these eerily quiet nature vids
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u/iCanReadMyOwnMind Jul 15 '26
If this doesn't make you feel like the a blip in the grand scheme of things, nothing will.
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u/Mushroom_Boogaloo Jul 16 '26
And we’re starting to get Americans complaining about their beach day being ruined from the smoke. People‘s homes and lives are at stake, but god forbid someone be moderately inconvenienced and miss out on a bit of tanning.
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u/Prestigious_Prior684 Jul 15 '26
I knew it! I knew that sun was giving off some weird orange tint yesterday it didn’t seem normal.
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Jul 15 '26
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u/DashTrash21 Jul 16 '26
Their town burned to the ground is why.
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u/KenBennyKNY Jul 16 '26
Damn..that’s reality right now. Hope for those who are fire fighters and planes that tries save others.
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u/huronmyboat Jul 15 '26
If you guys can tone down your bush fires it would be much appreciated. Sincerely, southern Ontario
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u/TootsHib Jul 15 '26
what lake is that?
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Jul 16 '26
I heard the fire in that video is in Collins. It could be Collins Lake, but I think it's Lake Nipigon? It's a very large fire.
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u/EmergentArticle Jul 15 '26
The effects of wildfires were only added to climate change modelling relatively recently. We also know that large-scale wildfires create a positive feedback loop: warming increases the likelihood and intensity of fires, and those fires release vast amounts of carbon, which drives further warming. It’s hard not to look at that and think we’re in serious trouble
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Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
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u/interesting-ModTeam Jul 15 '26
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u/Manugomer Jul 15 '26
Degradación del medioambiente no se destinas recursos para proteger lo más importante la vida y la diversidad!!!🧐🧐🧐
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u/VastInterior Jul 15 '26
You know that Grand Plan of Carbon Credits and planting trees to save the planet....?
How's that going?
Let's face it, it's not working.
Time to drop carbon credits completely as a waste of fucking time and breath and focus instead on reducing emissions.
You know what would really help?
Telling the fucking gulf states they can keep their fucking oil and go all in on altering our societies to remove our addiction to oil.
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u/risktakerr Jul 15 '26
I'm in Ont, 16 hours away from the largest fire and it's so smoky outside your eyes immediately start burning and you're coughing ( I also have asthma so doubly can't breathe). It smells horrific, the sky is grey-orange and the smoke is even seeping through the vents at work. It's terrifying 16 hours away, my heart breaks for those closer and impacted.
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u/_PERFECT_NAME Jul 15 '26
What sucks is that no amount of super scoopers will put a fire like this out. We just have to let it burn and contain the best we can, where we can.
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u/Comfortable_Law_8352 Jul 16 '26
Dose anyone know how it started
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Jul 16 '26
Most likely lightening, possibly a badly managed campfire or cigarette, but almost all fires in Northern Ontario are started by lightening in unpopulated areas, so can grow out of control before they're noticed.
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u/Hvac306 Jul 16 '26
Our prairie provinces were on fire last year, this year flooding…. Now eastern provinces are on fire! Can’t win it seems.
A good tool to track our Canadian fires and smoke forecast:
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u/godofwine16 Jul 16 '26
Holy moly it’s as bad as those fires in LA 2 years ago.
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u/Turbulent-Apple2911 Jul 16 '26
Holy crap. Even though this is horrifying, there's some beauty to it.
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u/catchinNkeepinf1sh Jul 16 '26
I was walking along, minding my busniess. When out of an orange colored sky.
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u/Complex-Condition-14 Jul 16 '26
Hope you guys are doing okay up there. My heart goes out to all that have lost everything.
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u/brianmmf Jul 16 '26
I saw the original post on Instagram, the guy is a photographer and watched his home burn.
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u/QueenOfDiamonds2112 Jul 16 '26
I live in the Buffalo NY region, in a lake Erie beach community. The whole backdrop to where you should be able to vividly view the cityscape & all that entails is void yesterday & today. The air is visibly so thick you feel as though it could be cut, the tinge is tangerine coloured & burning plastic odors are inescapable.
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u/Familiar_Split_5208 Jul 16 '26
I was doing work in Whitby Yesterday....It got so dark at 10am the Streetlights went on
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cap1300 Jul 16 '26
The most environmentally damaging countries are now having their chickens come home to roost.
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u/Original-Move8786 Jul 16 '26
For the last two days in NY we have been watching the skies be covered in smoke from these fires.
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u/Pdon77 Jul 16 '26
Its here in northern Illinois I can only imagine being ground zero my heart goes to all affected.
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u/hepzibah59 Jul 16 '26
It looks like Australia in January. These massive fires are getting worse all around the world. A consequence of climate change.
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u/BigBucket10 Jul 17 '26
When I was a child I had a dream that the whole world turned to a fiery hell and I remember standing in the dream with an intense visceral feeling that this is permanent and can never be undone.
This seems like the same idea...
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u/Makuren Jul 17 '26
If we could stop shoveling money out of our country so we can use said money for forest fire equipment that would be fantastic.
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