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Canada fires burning fast, blowing south and ramping up air pollutants in WNY

By Joanne Beck
Jun 30, 2023, 5:06pm

smoke over tonawanda — *Apparent smoke from the wildfires in Canada created a haze over the Tonawanda Creek on Friday morning.*
*Photo by Howard Owens.*

So this is what life has come to for much of upstate New York: checking the air quality reports every couple of days and having a good scientific expert on speed dial.

At least that’s how it is for The Batavian, with air levels reaching up past 150 for Western New York the last few days, signaling a red zone of “unhealthy.”

Former Batavia resident who survived Katrina forced from home in LA by major wildfire

By Howard B. Owens
Jan 9, 2025, 3:45pm

Danielle Lovell, Scot Walsh, Aidan Walsh — *Danielle Lovell, Aidan Walsh, and Scot Walsh,*
*Submitted photo*

When the Sunset Fire started to bear down on her Hollywood neighborhood on Wednesday evening, and the order to evacuate came, Danielle Lovell reminded herself to breathe.

She'd been through this before. In 2005, she and her family evacuated their home as Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.

"I think the biggest takeaway (from Katrina) was -- and even last night -- just reminding myself to breathe and to stay calm," Lovell said to The Batavian on Thursday. "You do not want to panic because you are in such a hurry, but breathe and stay calm. Getting out is the most important thing. Everything else is replaceable, and it'll be okay. As long as you're alive, it'll be okay."