Here's who is most at risk from wildfire smoke and how to protect yourself

Wildfire season is here again, and where there’s fire, there’s smoke – which, research shows, can be as deadly as the flames themselves.

Recently, a group of scientists sought to quantify the long-term outcomes of smoke exposure from California wildfires between 2008 and 2018. Their paper modeled statewide levels of tiny particles in wildfire smoke called PM2.5, and applied mortality data by ZIP code. They estimated that up to 55,710 premature deaths were attributable to wildfire-related PM2.5 in the air. COL Randall C. LTC Eugene Chu Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Maj (Join to see) MSgt Steve Sweeney MSG Stan Hutchison MSgt Michael Bischoff SSgt Richard Kensinger 1SG (Join to see) SGT Charlie Lee A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney CPL LaForest Gray SrA John Monette