SDLqThe fire is just a big raging animal right now. ... It seems to be giving the fire guys

SDLqThe fire is just a big raging animal right now. ... It seems to be giving the fire guys conniption fits. It’s doing things they normally wouldn’t expect.”

Darby Marshall

Spokesman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services, in describing a massive blaze near Big Sur — one of more than 1,700 wildfires in California.

“I went and bought a mask because my lungs were not happy with me. What we are experiencing is out of historical norms.”

Shawn Ferreria

California meteorologist and a senior air quality specialist for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, on the effect of wildfires in that state.