EXPLAINER: As wildfire smoke spreads, who's at risk?

Smoke from wildfires in the western U.S. and Canada is blanketing much of the continent and reaching unhealthy levels this week in communities from Washington state to Washington D

BILLINGS, Mont. -- Smoke from wildfires in the western U.S. and Canada is blanketing much of the continent, including thousands of miles away on the East Coast. And experts say the phenomenon is becoming more common as human-caused global warming stokes bigger and more intense blazes. Pollution from smoke reached unhealthy levels this week in communities from Washington state to Washington D.C. Get used to it, researchers say. “These fires are going to be burning all summer,” said University of Washington wildfire smoke expert Dan Jaffe. “In terms of bad air quality, everywhere in the country is to going to be worse than average this year.”