The wildfires in northern California started Sunday, Oct. 8, killed 29 people, and aren’t going to stop soon, according to CNN.
The largest fires were in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. Wildfires have burned more than 191,000 acres throughout the state, according to CNN.
In addition, other parts of California have been affected by the smoke.
Nathan Batty, a junior at Marquette, is at home in San Mateo, California. He said he can smell the smoke from his city.
Angelo David, a senior at Marquette originally from San Jose, said, “Aside from those directly affected, I also feel for the people in the South Bay with any sort of respiratory problems because having to deal with all that smoke inhalation definitely isn’t doing them any good.”
Because of the smoke, Batty is not able to walk his dog. “Also, I work at an after-school program, but with the smoke, we can’t take the kids outside at all,” Batty said.
David lives south of the fires, so his city isn’t being directly affected.
“But the smog from the fire is definitely carrying over. My parents said that they can smell it from where they’re at,” David said. David said he does not have any family members living up north.
According to CNN, almost 8,000 firefighters are trying to contain the blazes. They’re using 820 firetrucks, 73 helicopters and more than 30 planes.
The fires forced the evacuation of thousands of other residents and destroyed more than 3,500 structures across eight counties, according to The Mercury News.
“I feel terrible for those that have lost their homes, businesses, jobs, and lives,” Batty said. “My main concerns right now are the safety of those fighting the fire and the response from the government to help repair damages and rebuild.”
David also said he feels sadness for the families affected and that the amount of deaths is unnerving. “I’m just hoping they can contain (the fires) and that they don’t spread to the South Bay which is where I’m from,” David said.