As firefighters battle 17 major wildfires across Washington, consumer advocates are warning homeowners whose houses remain standing may still face costly damage from toxic smoke.
The warning comes as neighborhoods in the Spokane area have been devastated by fast-moving wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes, while some nearby houses were left largely intact.
Herb Weisbaum, consumer advocate and contributing editor for Checkbook.org, said many California homeowners learned after previous wildfires that surviving a fire did not necessarily mean escaping damage…