US Pacific north-west blanketed in thick smoke as firefighters push back blazes

Cities in Washington and Oregon seeing some of world’s worst air quality indices as smoke from fires cloaks region Wildfires raging in the US Pacific north-west are blanketing the region with thick smoke, delivering some of the world’s worst air quality even as firefighters made progress against larger blazes in Washington state. As of Thursday afternoon, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, hovered at the top of Swiss company IQAir’s list ranking the most polluted cities globally. …