New Delhi Diwali Smog, Wild River Fire and California Fire Insurance — November 9, 2026

Today's news runs from a smoggy morning in India's capital to a wildfire that is finally shrinking in New England, plus two stories about how communities live with fire risk.

Smog blankets New Delhi after Diwali

A thick layer of smog covered New Delhi on Monday after residents set off firecrackers on Sunday evening for Diwali, despite restrictions, the Associated Press reports via WTOP. The air quality index passed 350 in several parts of the capital Monday morning, which is in the severe category, and visibility dropped as gray haze settled over streets and buildings.

India's Supreme Court had allowed only approved "green firecrackers" during three-hour windows on Saturday and Sunday. The AP notes these produce fewer emissions but still release particulate matter. The city's pollution usually worsens in late October and November, when cooler temperatures, low winds and smoke from crop-residue burning in Punjab and Haryana trap pollutants over the region.

On days when the air is this heavy, keeping windows closed and running an air purifier indoors is a sensible step.

Rain helps crews shrink the Wild River Fire

The Wild River Fire in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest has shrunk from about 1,000 acres to 821 acres and was 29% contained as of Sunday, according to the Portland Press Herald. The Forest Service said recent rain will help firefighters continue their suppression work. The fire started on November 1 and is burning just west of the Maine border.

The Forest Service plans a community meeting on the fire Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Shelburne Town Hall in Shelburne, N.H.

California's next insurance commissioner promises a public wildfire fund

Jane Kim, who defeated Ben Allen in the race for California insurance commissioner, is promising a state-run, nonprofit fund for wildfire coverage, the New York Post reports. Her plan, called "Natural Disaster Insurance for All," would separate wildfire coverage from regular homeowners policies and make it available to every current homeowner in the state.

The proposal comes as seven of California's largest property insurers have limited or paused new homeowners policies, and premiums have risen 84% since 2020, according to Stanford research cited in the article.

What it takes to protect a town from wildfire

In a long feature, The New Yorker's Eric Klinenberg looks at the return of the urban conflagration and the collective measures communities increasingly need to stave off disaster. The piece opens with retired Boulder fire chief Larry Donner, who fire-hardened his home in Louisville, Colorado, with fibre-cement siding, a fire-rated roof and cleared vegetation, in a suburb surrounded by grasslands he once considered safe from forest fires.

Sources

• Thick smog shrouds New Delhi after Diwali firecrackers add to seasonal pollution — WTOP (Associated Press)
• Crews fight wildfire in White Mountain National Forest for seventh day — Portland Press Herald
• Jane Kim vows state-run wildfire insurance fund for California — New York Post
• What It Takes to Save a Town from Wildfire — The New Yorker

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.