Smokey air, nonstop nosebleeds. Life as a warehouse worker in a heatwave: ‘Products matter more than people’

During a blistering heatwave in California, tens of thousands of warehouse workers continued working to fulfill consumers’ growing reliance on one-click, doorstep delivery. Illustration: Susie Ang/The Guardian

Uncontrolled wildfires ripped across southern California amid a startling late summer heatwave this month, shrouding the region in thick, dark smoke as temperatures climbed past 110F (43.3C).

But Cynthia Ayala, a ramp agent at one of Amazon’s largest air freight hubs, had to report to work anyway.