The smoke is everywhere

We have been terrorized by wood smoke for several years now. This didn’t use to be a big problem, but wood smoke has massively increased since covid. One way is by multiple neighbors, including one right next to us, and the other by pervasive wood smoke all over the entire town, so that nowhere you can go is safe. You smell smoke at the grocery store, downtown, everywhere.

We are a household of low income, disabled people. I am a homeless, single mother, who has nowhere else to go. The neighbor’s smoke is everywhere, so that you cannot go outside for months on end. It gets into our house. It aggravates my allergies, and makes my throat sore, and constant clearing of my throat, as well as chronic fatigue, and burning eyes. I can smell the smoke as I’m writing this. They even have it burning in the middle of summer!

None of these people are doing this to heat their homes even, but for the ‘aesthetic’, and for ‘political’ reasons to prove they are not ‘trapped’ by government regulations. It’s so immature, and antisocial. But this is completely accepted in a joke of a country, (and in California no less!) where we have yet to ban this, but we are trying to ban gas stoves, which are far less polluting, and don’t pollute for miles around you like wood smoke does.

We have tried asking nicely for them to stop burning, as it is making us all ill, and it goes on for most of the year, so there is no reprieve. But they have chosen to ignore that. I have called it in to the air quality, and other orgs multiple times, but nothing has come of it.

I want to move out of here so badly, but I am broke, and have nowhere to go. I’m so scared we are all going to die. That my little one will get chronic problems. She has very dark circles around her eyes all the time now. She has trouble breathing at night, and has to wear nose strips.