Smoke rises out of the Angeles National Forest as the Bobcat fire rages on. Credit: JingKe888/Flickr.

Smoke, Ash and Haze: An L.A. Story

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Yesterday morning, I stepped onto my balcony with a cup of coffee. I realized I could no longer see the hills or the Hollywood Sign typically visible from my place at the northern edge of Koreatown, near Hancock Park. As I observed the sepia-toned sky, I realized I had perhaps become the “This Is Fine” meme. Here we all are, trying to carry on in the middle of a global pandemic and wildfires that have scorched over 2 million acres of the state in 2020 alone while coming off a record-breaking heat wave. This is actually not fine.

From my balcony to yours, this is what our apocalyptic Los Angeles looks like right now.

Los Angeleno