Hannah Dreier

For two decades, Luis Martinez has fought wildfires for the U.S. government. Now he’s facing down cancer, debt and the threat of separation from his 11-year-old.

They will be eligible for a one-time payment as well as college tuition for their children. The effort is part of a legislative push to address the dangers of working in toxic smoke.

The story of one young man who started fighting wildfires as a teenager, and was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer on the eve of his 25th birthday.

A reporter’s questions pulled her into the subculture of wildland firefighting. Policy changes followed.

U.S. Wildfire Fighters to Mask Up After Decades-Long Ban on Smoke Protections (Published 2025)

He started fighting wildfires as a teenager. After inhaling smoke on the front lines for six seasons, he faced an impossible choice.

The U.S. Forest Service has fought decades of efforts to better protect its crews — sending them into smoke without masks or warnings about the risks.

Perdue Farms and JBS have settled with the Labor Department after relying on migrant children to do dangerous work in their slaughterhouses. Most of the money will be used to help the children.

Many sponsors were inadequately vetted and safety checks went unfulfilled, an independent watchdog found. Children ended up in dangerous jobs across the country.

McDonald’s, Costco and other major brands say they are stepping up efforts to keep minors from the grueling, often dangerous work that goes into their products.