Community Networks Step Up to Shield Neighbors From Wildfire Smoke

As wildfire smoke blankets communities across the wester…

As wildfire smoke blankets communities across the western United States, a new kind of grassroots support is emerging, rooted in the mutual aid networks that formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. These volunteer-run groups are now turning their attention to the growing threat of hazardous air, providing residents with air purifiers, masks, and other essential equipment to help them cope with the increasingly smoky conditions.

In rural Mendocino County, California, Miquette Thompson has watched the sky turn a hazy gray for days. The nearby Feliz and Woodside fires have scorched over 1,000 acres, while massive wildfires in Oregon and Washington are sending plumes of smoke hundreds of miles south. For Thompson, the constant presence of smoke has become a grim new normal, a stark reminder of the region’s escalating fire season.

The shift from pandemic-era support to wildfire response reflects a broader adaptation among community groups. Where they once distributed personal protective equipment to slow the spread of a virus, these volunteers now loan out high-efficiency air purifiers and hand out N95 masks to neighbors struggling with poor air quality. The goal is simple: to ensure no one in their community is left without protection against the invisible threat of fine particulate matter.

This work is especially vital in areas like

This work is especially vital in areas like Mendocino, where residents often live in remote, rural settings and may lack the resources or access to purchase expensive filtration systems. Volunteers say the demand has surged as fire seasons grow longer and more intense, a trend scientists attribute to climate change. What began as a temporary emergency response is becoming a sustained effort to build resilience in the face of recurring crises.

For Thompson and others, the haze that has become a fixture of their days is a clear sign that these networks are more necessary than ever. “It’s become not unusual,” she said, describing the act of stepping outside to find the sky obscured by smoke. As the fires continue to burn, the work of these community groups offers a lifeline — not just a filter for the air, but a sense of shared solidarity in an increasingly uncertain climate.