Overview: Southern California residents have suffered from the physical and mental health impacts of urban fires and wildfires, with research showing that inhaling wildfire smoke can be particularly toxic. The mental health toll of enduring fires is also growing. Recent data shows that nearly three million California adults have experienced a wildfire in the past two years, and 10.9 million have experienced smoke from wildfires during that time.
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In the last year, Southern California residents have endured dozens of urban fires and wildfires that have devastated communities in more ways than one.
From the San Bernardino County Line Fire that set more than 23,000 acres ablaze in October 2024, to the Palisades Fire that burned through an entire neighborhood in a matter of days and the Eaton Fire that ravaged the historical Altadena neighborhood in January 2025 — Southern California residents have been impacted physically and mentally.
The physical health effects of wildfires is well documented as researchers have published studies detailing the impact of inhaling wildfire smoke as well as smoke from urban fires, which contain additional harmful elements due to the burning of organic materials. For residents who live in communities with higher levels of air pollution, such as San Bernardino, a well-known warehouse hub with increased levels of greenhouse gases, the stakes are much higher when coupled with wildfire smoke.
According to research conducted by Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, wildfire smoke is considerably toxic because it contains bits of whatever is burning. When a fire spreads to populated or industrialized areas, other things also burn including buildings, concrete, large amounts of plastic, among other things. These materials get aerosolized and travel with the wind, sometimes very long distances and can also be absorbed into the soil.
For residents who already live in highly polluted areas, wildfire and urban fires can exacerbate conditions.
San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are recognized as two of the most polluted counties in the nation as a result of increased vehicle emissions and industrial waste. An article published by the National Library of Medicine examined pediatric asthma in the Inland Empire. The journal article noted that pediatric asthma Emergency Department visit rates in San Bernardino were 60.5% and in Riverside, 59.3%, compared to California’s average of 56.7%.
According to Dr. Arianne Teherani, founding co-director of the UC Center for Climate, Health and Equity, studies conducted in other parts of the world examine how pre-existing health conditions can impact mental health. The Center conducts research about health issues that are caused by climate change and works to provide education resources and generate equitable solutions.
“Neighborhoods that are already struggling with existing pollution now have to sort of think about how they’re going to protect their population’s health, [which] can be very stressful because they’re already thinking about how they’re going to manage to navigate kids who already have existing health issues, or adults who already have health issues with sort of the added factors that come as a part of wildfire smoke,” Dr. Teherani explained.
Wildfires are a significant source of air pollution and a common driver of flares in cardiorespiratory disease, including asthma pub med reports. 1-2 (source: nih.gov)
While much data and evidence shows the physical health impacts of wildfires and urban fires, research examining the mental health toll of enduring fires is steadily growing as wildfires become more prevalent.
Recent data released by UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey for 2024 provided insights to how California wildfires impacted residents. The data about wildfires and smoke do not include the experiences of Los Angeles County residents affected by the January 2025 fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, but offer an important examination of how wildfires can affect communities in several ways.
The survey noted that nearly three million California adults — 10% — said they or a household member personally experienced a wildfire in the past two years, and 10.9 million (37%) said they or a household member experienced smoke from wildfires during that time.
According to the survey, among adult respondents, 17.2% who experienced wildfires in the past two years and 14.7% of those who experienced wildfire smoke during that period said their mental health was harmed.
Additionally, the survey reported that exposure to wildfires and wildfire smoke in the past two years was also associated with higher rates of visiting a professional for mental health and drug- and alcohol-related issues in the past year: 21.7% of those exposed to fires and 35.4% of those experiencing smoke did so.
“It’s really the wildfire smoke that is the most damaging to health, and I think really as part of that is the sort of climate distress. So, there is this notion that I can’t breathe the air outside now,” Dr. Teherani explained.
“I can’t go out and breathe it even more often than I used to, and what that means for people’s mental health is pretty significant, because they’re living in this constant state of, ‘I can’t do this.’ ‘There’s like one fundamental thing, like breathing clean air, that I cannot do,’ and that’s linked to anxiety. It’s linked to worry and a whole other series of mental health impacts,” she continued.
To help residents cope with mental health distress, the state launched CalHOPE, a comprehensive program that provides free, safe and confidential support for children and youth (ages 0 to 25), and families. One key resource is the CalHOPE Warm Line, a peer-run support that addresses a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, and substance use. Those in need can reach out through calling, texting or live chat.
Rebecca Sterling, assistant deputy director at the California Department of Health Care Services, shared that between the summer of 2024 and January 2025, when the fires happened, roughly 30% of total contacts came from individuals in LA County. Sterling noted that the increase in contacts was far more than any other individual county within the state.
“What I can really speak to is the uptick in the number of contacts the Warm Line received from individuals specifically reporting wildfires as their primary concern or the primary motivation or reason they were making the contact,” Sterling said.
There was also an increase in users of the website from LA County, about 179% increase from December to January of website traffic from LA County, specifically.
“We know that the impacts of wildfires and natural disasters at large can have profound impacts on individuals’ mental health, and that’s inclusive of California youth and children. We know that [with] the impact on mental health there can be a sudden, like an immediate impact in the immediate aftermath of a wildfire and natural disaster,” Sterling explained.
“But we also know that those impacts don’t stop there. They can be felt by an individual over much time as they’re kind of processing and navigating the aftermath for months and years to come,” Sterling added.
An article published by Science Direct examines how disasters like the California wildfires “are not only ecological crises, but also mental health emergencies, particularly affecting already vulnerable populations through mechanisms such as displacement, environmental grief, and chronic stress,” the article noted.
The article noted that exposure to large-scale fires such as the Line, Palisades and Eaton Fires can result in mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. The authors also further highlighted recent research that addresses the growing prevalence of “climate trauma” as a mental health consequence of wildfires. Climate trauma describes the mental health impacts such as depression, PTSD and anxiety as a result of climate-related disasters.
“What’s really beneficial about the Cal HOPE program and all of the suite of resources and tools that are available is that they are open access, no barrier,” Sterling said. “They’re free of cost and available to all Californians, regardless of insurance, immigration status, and they offer tools and coping strategies for navigating all of those stressors and emotions that can come up as individuals are really processing the experience.”
For children aged 12 and under and their families, the Department of Health Care Services launched BrightLife Kids, a mental health resource app that offers coaching, one-on-one sessions, secure chat and other resources to help children navigate worry and stress.
Teens and young adults (ages 13 to 25) can access the Department’s Soluna app which offers peer-support, one-on-one coaching, and navigation to connect users with a therapist and other resources.
“Many of the resources and tools available through the Cal HOPE program are for making sure individuals can manage their emotions and develop some of those coping skills and tools so that they’re able to navigate when emotions and challenging life circumstances come up,” Sterling explained.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also operates the Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH), the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. It is a toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. Those in need can call or text 1-800-985-5990 for English and for Spanish, or text the same number and press or text 2. Deaf and Hard of Hearing ASL Callers can text or call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 using their preferred Relay provider.
“There are different times in all of our lives when we face challenges, or when we might need a little bit more support,” Sterling said.
As California still faces increased fire danger, Cal Fire reported that Southern California is expected to see “above-normal large fire potential” through December as a result of the abnormal warm temperatures and slightly above normal Santa Ana wind activity.
According to Cal Fire, as of early October, 2025, 37% of California is experiencing a drought with an additional 34%, abnormally dry.
With warming temperatures, California residents should take measures to prepare for potential fires by being on the look out for weather warnings issued by the National Weather Service, visiting the Cal Fire website for ongoing and new fire incidents, and utilizing resources such as CalHOPE that are available to all Californians.
The Black Voice News series, The Fire Next Time, is funded by the Inland Empire Community Foundation via the Inland Empire Journalism Innovation Hub+Fund. Black Voice News is solely responsible for its reporting.