Thousands battle Western wildfires as smoke puts millions under air quality alerts

Wildfires across the western United States and Canada have put millions of people under air quality alerts, as thousands of firefighters battle the flames, including the largest wildfire in California this year. The so-called Park Fire had scorched more than 550 square miles of land in inland Northern California as of Sunday, darkening the sky with smoke and haze and contributing to poor air quality in a large swath of the Northwestern U.S. and western Canada. Although the sprawling blaze is only 12% contained, cooler temperatures and increased humidity over the next few days could help crews battle the fire, which has drawn comparisons to the 2018 Camp Fire that tore through the nearby community of Paradise.