As wildfires continue to spread across Southern California, Los Angeles still remains under a blanket of smoke, posing escalating threats to its residents. The fires have led to devastating losses, with 40,000 acres burned so far, over 27 known deaths and over 100,000 residents displaced as of Jan. 21.

Beyond the immediate danger the flames present, hovering smoke has created hazardous air conditions. The crisis has drawn comparisons to wildfire-prone regions across the United States, such as Texas, where similar environmental factors set the stage for future disasters. 

So how did it happen? 

The intensifying wildfires in California are a result of factors that created the perfect storm: years of drought, increasingly extreme temperatures, heat waves, dry vegetation that acts as fuel and rapid winds that can reignite a contained fire. 

Beyond the natural elements, human activity has pushed the environment past its breaking point and led to a man-made fire crisis. In “The Case for Letting Malibu Burn” historian and urban theorist Mike Davis writes that “periodic firestorms of this magnitude are inevitable as long as residential development is tolerated.” 

Increasing demand for housing over the past several decades has caused neighborhoods to encroach into fire-prone areas once naturally regenerated by practices such as controlled burns. According to research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted by forest ecology professor Volker Radeloff, the number of homes in fire-prone areas of California grew by 40 percent between 1990 and 2020. 

Another concern is the reconsideration of the Indigenous practice of “cultural burning,” a practice that was abandoned in the 19th and 20th centuries in favor of other practices. According the article “Indigenous Fire Practices Shape Our Land,” on the National Park Service website, employing the practice of “cultural burning,” the intentional and controlled use of fire to regenerate life is being seen as a helpful step not only to promote ecological diversity but to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

These smaller, low-intensity burns were used to replenish soil, aid native plants and restore land. Frank Kanawha Lake, a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, maintains that the practice draws on the view of fire as restorative and not destructive, a positive view of fire that is closely intertwined with Indigenous culture and its respect for the Earth and the ecosystem. The goal of cultural burning is to create fire-adapted ecosystems that leave the land less vulnerable to mass destruction. 

According to Digital History, an online American history textbook supported by the University of Houston College of Education, when European colonizers spread across what is now North America, Indigenous people were viewed as primitive despite their complex, agriculturally-based cultures. Skewed by misconceptions about Indigenous peoples’ practices and relationship to the land, California’s first legislative session in 1850 outlawed the use of cultural burns. This punitive law was part of a larger process that enabled white settlers to enslave Indigenous peoples in California, remove them from lands and separate families. It wasn’t until 172 years later, in 2022, when the right to cultural burns was affirmed and reestablished in California, but some experts say that the recognition of the value of the practice came far too late. 

When the fires broke out, was Los Angeles prepared?

When the fires broke out two weeks ago, emergency respondents faced significant challenges in managing the rapidly escalating situation. The sheer scale of the wildfires overwhelmed infrastructure, leaving firefighters and emergency respondents struggling to keep pace with the rapidly spreading flames.  

Key obstacles arose during original containment efforts, such as shortages of water, overwhelmed communication systems and limited access to remote areas. Los Angeles’ annual Santa Ana winds exacerbated chaos, reigniting embers and spreading flames faster than firefighters could respond. The shortcomings during the fight to extinguishment have raised serious questions by citizens about the state’s readiness to face an increasingly unpredictable wildfire season. 

The resulting smoke from the L.A. wildfires has an ever-present threat to human health, leaving unseen danger past the burn zones.  

Junior Chim Becker grew up in Los Angeles, before moving to Austin in 2016. Becker’s ties to Los Angeles run deep, and the recent wildfires that have devastated parts of California hit especially close to home. Her aunts and cousins, who live near the Palisades area, were among the many forced to evacuate as flames encroached on their neighborhoods.

 “I have a lot of family friends there,” Becker said. “They’ve had to uproot their lives and leave their homes in the past few weeks.”

Wildfires weren’t an unfamiliar danger during Becker’s childhood. 

“I remember there would be wildfire drills and tsunami drills sometimes within the same week at school,” Becker said. 

How much exposure to wildfire smoke is too much? 

Research into the health impacts of wildfire smoke has evolved since the last fires in California, revealing the significant risks posed by prolonged exposure. Although the smoke eventually subsides, the air continues to carry dangerous pollutants. While smoke is known to be an irritant to the eyes and throat, experts are discovering that it can infiltrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, with long-lasting effects on health. 

Dr. Chandana Banerjee is the dean, director and designated institutional official for graduate medical education at City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles. With years of experience in addressing the convergence of health and environmental factors, Banerjee explains the varying impacts of wildfire smoke on individuals. 

“The smoke will likely cause mild irritations like runny noses and scratchy throats to many,” Banjeree said. “But to some, more severe conditions such as bronchitis or trigger asthma attacks.’

She also emphasizes that the smoke could aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases, cancers, depression and anxiety. 

“What people don’t always realize is that wildfire smoke isn’t just wood burning like in a campfire,” Banjeree said. “It’s everything in a house—plastic, metal and so many other materials—burning together. When you breathe that in, you’re inhaling a mix of harmful toxins.”

Wildfire smoke contains harmful particles, such as carbon, heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The most concerning being particulate matter (PM2.5), which is small enough to bypass the body’s natural defenses, deteriorating cardiovascular and respiratory systems. 

“It’s the particulate matter that is the most dangerous,” Banerjee said. “It can deeply penetrate lungs and even cause long-term respiratory issues.”

Individuals who breathe in this smoke for long periods of time are at a high risk of developing lung disease, heart disease, mental health issues and even cancer. Repeated exposure to smoke is linked to chronic inflammation and, ultimately, lung damage over time. 

Are we at risk in Texas?

The reality of California’s growing wildfire risk, however, is not isolated to the West Coast. The wildfires serve as a stark warning to many other regions across the United States, including Texas. Like California, Texas has also experienced a rapid increase in wildfire risk, exacerbated by long, harsh summers and limited rainfall. According to a list compiled in 2019 by CoreLogic, Austin ranks the fifth city in the United States for the highest risk of wildfires, behind the first four cities all in California. 

Experts at the Lyndon B. Johnson Fire Academy in Austin warn that the same environmental conditions driving California’s wildfires are present in Austin as well. Leon Hudson, director of the LBJ Fire Academy and an expert in wildfire management, emphasizes that although Texas has always faced wildfire risks, the growing frequency and intensity of fires seen in places such as California have made the situation more concerning.

“While wildfires have been part of Texas for a long time, we’re now seeing more extreme conditions that are pushing our response capabilities to their limits,” Hudson said.

The vast areas of dry vegetation, combined with periods of extreme heat and high winds, make Texas similarly susceptible to wildfires. 

The recent Los Angeles wildfires underscore the growing severity of wildfire risks across the United States, highlighting the need for proactive measures. As communities work to recover, the need for longer-term solutions is becoming clear. Addressing the root causes of the disaster has been identified by experts as a critical step in mitigating future risks. Taking meaningful action to address the underlying issues can help reduce the risk of future wildfires and ensure cities are more equipped for the challenges ahead.