Fires in Austin area or Bastrop

My brother just sent me some pictures of the fires in Austin area; he's in Oregon at this time, living there 6 months of the year, and 6 months in Georgetown.  Thence he wasn't there at the time of the fires.  His daughter and her family live in Georgetown, and I'm sure they kept him informed of what was going on.  But the pictures he sent, were similar to the ones I'd already seen online, and one looked like hell had opened up into the skies.  The other is a view from the interstate down the traffic with billows of gray and black smoke billowing as far as the sky can be seen.

Then I read this morning about the toxic ash from the twin towers falling on 9/11/01 and how the first responders are being found to have lung diseases and cancer due to inhaling the toxic fumes. 

My question is this:  Will the people in the Bastrop area also have lung diseases, as well as the firemen, from the fumes of these massive fires.  I really had never given much thought to why they would be toxic. 

When my daughter was in middle school, her best friend's house caught on fire on Valentines day.  (By the way, that young lady is getting married today, and I so wanted to go but thought I'd be out of town at the State Convention - congratulations Jennifer!)
It didn't burn the house down, the shell and walls were still there, but it was all smoke infested and everything was ruined from the heat and the smell was awful.  We spent a few days emptying the house and inventorying it for the insurance company.  I took a few things home with me to keep until they moved into the next home.  I spent hours trying to clean them and get the awful smell out.  In the end, they rebuilt the inside of the house, moving walls, rearranging the floorplan, modernizing the house, and then moved back in.  But when they came and got the stuff I had, it still smelled bad and I imagine they didn't use it in the new home. 

After that experience, my daughter and I and several others who had helped, got sick as dogs.  I'd had pneumonia a few years earlier, and this sickness felt the same way but without fever, and I knew it was breathing in all the burned up stuff!!  Imagine if a whole town burns down how many toxins are exposed to the general public, not to mention the firefighters who put their lives on the line. 

Let's just pray that this doesn't happen, that the ruin of their homes and possessions won't be compounded by health problems.  Our hearts go out to all who were affected by these fires, and want you to know we'll continue to pray for good health and hope that through the goodness of others, you find a way to get back on the track you were on before the devastation.  Many blessings from the Lord God are wished on you this day.