‘You can taste the ash’: surviving in America’s wildfire smoke capital
This feature explores the daily lives of residents in Josephine County, Oregon, which has the highest rate of wildfire smoke-related deaths in the U.S. It details the physical and emotional toll of living in a region frequently choked by hazardous air.
Why it matters
It highlights the human cost of climate-driven environmental disasters in rural American communities.
Sara on the property of her mother Joy’s art gallery, which is called It’s a Burl, in Kerby, Oregon. Sara on the property of her mother Joy’s art gallery, which is called It’s a Burl, in Kerby, Oregon. US news ‘You can taste the ash’: surviving in America’s wildfire smoke capital A magical corner of Oregon has the highest US rate of wildfire smoke deaths. How do residents live with the haze – and grief?
Driving into the county, you can’t miss the sign.
The letters are so big they form an arch over 6th Street in Grants Pass.
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