Many residents of Los Angeles neighborhoods devastated by wildfires over the past week have gone back to their torched homes to survey the damage, some posting videos on social media showing them walking through the ruins without any protective gear.

For one Hawaiʻi official, it’s a replay of what they saw after the deadly Lahaina fire, when residents ventured into the burn zone without anything to protect themselves from toxic ash.

“It’s almost like Lahaina PTSD, seeing pictures of people going into the LA neighborhoods without any PPE,” said Dr. Diana Felton, chief of the Hawai‘i State Department of Health’s Communicable Disease and Public Health Nursing Division. 

Los Angeles public health experts advise the public to get out of neighborhoods that are blanketed with cancer-causing chemicals from burned vehicles, solar panels and batteries, building materials and everyday household products.

But some people have returned anyway. Felton understands why.

“The desire to go back and see what you can salvage is very strong,” she said. “It seems like a really important part of the moving on, recovery and healing component. I just want people to strike a balance between doing what’s best for closure and their mental health and protecting their physical health.”

After the Lahaina fire, Hawaiʻi officials said people shouldn’t enter burned areas if they were pregnant, elderly, young or medically compromised. But if they did go, officials told them to wear personal protective equipment, ideally an N95 mask that fits, goggles, gloves, socks, close-toed shoes, pants and long-sleeved shirts.

Ash from 100 properties tested four months after the Aug. 8, 2023, fire revealed elevated levels of arsenic, lead, antimony, cobalt and copper, all of which are known to cause serious, long-term health problems. Ash from the fires in and around Los Angeles, which have destroyed more than 10,000 structures and killed at least 25, probably is laced with similar contaminants, Felton said.

Those contaminants can be easily kicked up — for instance, when people try to salvage possessions. Breathing in wildfire ash and smoke can trigger problems including coughing, erratic heartbeat and fatigue. Exposure to toxic chemicals unleashed in an urban fire usually doesn’t trigger immediate symptoms, but it may lead to long-term health issues such as cancer, high blood pressure, liver problems or learning disabilities. 

The University of Hawaiʻi’s Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, which now has 1,750 participants, has revealed acute problems among fire survivors, including respiratory issues and hypertension.

“One Of The Dumbest Things I’ve Ever Done”

On Jan. 8, less than 24 hours after the Pacific Palisades fire started, Ron Schlessinger, 59, rode an e-bike to see whether his parents’ home had survived. Aware of the health risks, he wore an N95 mask, ski goggles, a ski helmet, a long-sleeved shirt and pants. He said it was hard to breathe amid the haze of wildfire smoke and ash. 

When he arrived at his parents’ house, he found a rubble-strewn lot punctuated by a couple of chimney stacks. He snapped a photo but left quickly — not just due to the health risks, but because the fire was still raging. He didn’t even give himself a moment to grieve the loss of his childhood home. 

A week later, Schlessinger said, he has a lingering cough. Although the photo he took provided a sense of closure for his aging parents, he said he wouldn’t recommend doing what he did.

“I was freaked out the whole time and just wanted to get in and get out,” he said. “I’m glad I did it, and it was really one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.” 

Contaminants Kept Lahaina Residents Away For Weeks

Accessing neighborhoods devastated by the LA fires was easier a week ago when authorities were busy responding to the fires. Now, law enforcement is blocking residents from entering. If Lahaina is any comparison, they may not be allowed in anytime soon.

Although some people returned to check on homes immediately after the fire, authorities locked down the area for weeks. Emergency personnel first searched for human remains; the toll eventually rose to 102.

Then hazmat experts assessed chemical contaminants unleashed by the blaze: pesticides, asbestos, oil, heavy metals, and forever chemicals found in firefighting foams, among others. 

Six weeks after the fire, after crews had cleared unstable structures and dangerous materials, officials started to allow residents to return on supervised visits. Volunteers dressed in white protective coveralls escorted residents, offering emotional support and helping to scour the ash for keepsakes. The government provided protective masks and gloves, as well as portable toilets, hand-washing stations and medical care.

Months after the fire, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sprayed a soil stabilizer on the ash to prevent it from becoming airborne. Contractors scraped the top six inches of soil from properties and returned to dig up more if testing showed the soil was still contaminated. Homeowners were barred from accessing their properties during the tedious, monthslong process. 

To prevent chemicals from washing into the ocean, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plunged absorbent tubes into the ground near stormwater drains. Two months after the fire, scientists found concerning levels of copper and zinc in water samples at the Lahaina harbor.

Over time, the toxicity dissipated to levels unsafe for aquatic species, but not for humans. Long-term monitoring of Lahaina’s air, soil and nearshore ocean waters is ongoing.

Civil Beat’s coverage of environmental issues on Maui is supported by grants from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Hawai‘i Wildfires Recovery Fund, the Knight Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation.