OLIVELLA, SPAIN ¨C As flames and smoke from burning bushes billowed toward them, Catalan firefighters calmly controlled the progress of a planned fire on a forested hillside ¡ª an exercise aimed at reducing the danger of blazes breaking out later in the summer heat.
Prescribed forest burns like this, which thin out flammable undergrowth, are a well-known way of lowering wildfire risks, which are rising as the Earth¡¯s climate heats up.
Less understood is the impact on the health of the people who work to prevent and battle those forest fires.
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