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This summer, I followed a wildfire crew as they fought back flames in the mountains of Southern California.
To join them, I’d needed to stock up on the same gear the firefighters used — flame-resistant clothes, a helmet, goggles, gloves. My socks had to be 100 percent cotton, because synthetics could melt to my skin. The security team at The New York Times made me take a hiking endurance test. And they gave me a portable fire shelter to use as a last resort if the flames overtook us.
One thing I had that the firefighters didn’t: a mask.
I’d first noticed this absence back in January, when wildfires swept into Los Angeles. That smoke was especially toxic, with the fumes from burning electric cars and asbestos-filled homes. But in photos, I could see that firefighters were barefaced, breathing it all in.
I wanted to understand why none of them were wearing masks, and what the consequences might be. Those questions pulled me into the subculture of wildland firefighting and became the basis for a series of articles published recently in The Times.
On forums, I found firefighters swapping tales of gruesome injuries and posting pictures of their bushy beards. Many were also saying they had gotten sick from the job.
Soon, I was on the phone with firefighters in their 20s, 30s and 40s who were battling rare cancers, awaiting lung transplants and dealing with heart damage so severe they struggled to hold their children.
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The post At a Wildfire With a Notebook — and a Mask appeared first on New York Times.
