Beware of smoke

There are a lot of "forest" fires around the San Francisco bay area past few days, resulting in a lot of smoke in the air. We could tell by the smell, the moment we step outside from home or office. I was watching related news on TV - they asked people to stay indoors with AC on if they can, especially if one has lung conditions like asthma. Kind of obvious advice, but they also said something no so obvious - sometimes you can't tell by the smell, but harmful particles are in the air when such fires are going on, and inhaling them is equally dangerous. Breathers beware!

The same applies if there is an indoor fire. Obviously, fire kills, but what is not so obvious is smoke also kills. If you have inhaled smoke inside a building that is on fire, it has enough toxic or inflammable particles that can damage your lung tissues or cells. People have died of pneumonia a week later of inhaling such smoke, though they escaped without external burns from the fire.

So, next time you see a fire inside, just get the hell out. And, vice-versa!