While Texas and the east coast are facing hurricanes and flooding, the west coast is dealing with a series of intense fires. During the recent heatwave in the Bay Area, our skies were layered with smoke from various fires, and in Oregon, ash is falling from the sky at levels not seen since the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens.

+ Buzzfeed: Los Angeles is battling the biggest wildfire in its history and the photos are unreal.

+ More photos from InFocus: Wildfires rage across the American West.

+ “I think one important question to ask is, if these people are safe to be out and about and carrying axes and chain saws, maybe they didn’t need to be in prison in the first place.” The NYT Mag with an interesting look at the the incarcerated women who fight California’s wildfires.