Hayley Smith, Author at Lookout Santa Cruz

Traffic streams along Highway 50 near Kyburz, which was under mandatory evacuation orders because of the nearby Caldor Fire

‘How much more of this can we take?’ Wildfires prompt air quality advisories in Northern California

by Hayley Smith August 19, 2021October 22, 2023

Officials from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco have issued air quality alerts warning of hazardous conditions that could last into the weekend. The Santa Cruz area has seen its share of haze in recent days, but some clearing is expected Friday and into the weekend.

Amanda Peri, an inspector with Cal Fire Shasta Trinity Unit, searches through debris

Environment

Former Santa Clara University instructor arrested in connection with ‘arson-setting spree’ near Dixie fire

by Hayley Smith August 11, 2021

Gary Stephen Maynard, 47 and a former instructor at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State, has been charged with willfully starting the Ranch fire and has been linked to at least six other blazes.

Burned trees rise above a truck destroyed by the Dixie Fire in the town of Greenville.

Environment

As Dixie fire nears half a million acres, containment is still weeks away

by Hayley Smith August 9, 2021October 22, 2023

More than 16,000 structures are still threatened by the fire, which authorities don’t expect to have under control until the end of August. The Dixie fire is one of 11 major fires burning across the state, according to Cal Fire.

Registered nurse Julie Anne Buenaventura prepares doses of the Pfizer vaccine/

Vaccine Watch

For parents of unvaccinated kids, worsening Delta variant brings alarm, questions

by Hayley Smith and Deborah Netburn July 31, 2021

The variant’s ability to spread among the vaccinated is worrisome, experts said, but it shouldn’t preclude kids from heading back to school.

The Dixie fire grew to more than 103,000 acres Thursday.

Dixie fire swells beyond 240,000 acres, swallowing homes: ‘It’s been heartbreaking’

by Lila Seidman and Hayley Smith July 30, 2021December 15, 2023

The Dixie fire is now the 11th largest wildfire in California’s recorded history, searing more than 240,000 acres.

An image of the Dixie fire from Cal Fire's SCU unit.

Environment

Dixie fire scorches nearly 200,000 acres, doubling in size in days

by Lila Seidman and Hayley Smith July 26, 2021October 22, 2023

Gusty winds and thunderstorms could exacerbate the conditions that are fueling the Dixie and Tamarack fires in Northern California. More than 5,400 personnel — including crews from Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Cal Fire’s local CZU unit, among others — are attacking the blaze around the clock.

After hitting 100,000 acres Thursday, the Dixie fire was nearing 150,000 acres Friday.

Environment

Dixie fire, nearing 150K acres, now largest of the year in California

by Hayley Smith July 23, 2021October 22, 2023

The Dixie fire, burning in Plumas and Butte counties, swelled beyond 140,000 acres Friday, while some began questioning management strategies on the 58,000-acre Tamarack fire along the California-Nevada state line.

Health & Wellness

With metals and maybe even coronavirus, wildfire smoke is more dangerous than you think

by Hayley Smith July 22, 2021

As wildfires ravage hundreds of thousands of acres across California, more is being learned about the damaging effects of their smoke.

Environment

Dixie fire burns more than 100,000 acres while Tamarack fire crosses state lines

by Hayley Smith and Matthew Ormseth July 22, 2021October 22, 2023

The Dixie fire, burning in Butte and Plumas counties, is now the second fire in California to surpass 100,000 acres this year, after the Sugar fire. That came as the Tamarack fire swelled across the California-Nevada state line for the first time.