The NOAA HMS image above shows the Middle Fire that was taking place in California on September 15th. INCIWEB reports that the fire had been started on September 5th by a lightning strike and although close to 600 acres had been burned, it is now currently contained. The fire had released a long strand of moderate smoke across Oregon. The Aerosol Watch image below shows more clearly the stream of smoke originating from the Middle Fire in California.
The NASA Worldview image shows sand originating from the Sahara traveling across the Mediterranean Sea towards Italy. The NRL/Monterey Aerosol image below shows that sands are being carried upward through winds towards Italy and other European countries.