As flames incinerated whole blocks in Southern California, fierce winds pushed dark, speckled ash through Rossana Valverde’s door frames, windows and vents. Her home stood a short drive from the worst destruction caused by January’s Eaton Fire, but she had gotten lucky: Apart from a singed tree, her property appeared unscathed.

Yet the acrid stench in the bungalow she shared with her husband suggested otherwise. The remains of other people’s homes now permeated hers.

After the Los Angeles fires, their insurer told them they could return home.

Nearly a year after California’s Eaton Fire, some survivors say their homes look untouched but are contaminated by toxic smoke and ash. As Southern California Edison faces scrutiny over the fire’s cause, families are weighing settlement offers against the mounting costs of cleanup and long-term health risks.

Nearly a year after the deadly Eaton fire in Southern California, the first payment from the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program has been made.

In October, Southern California Edison launched the program, which offers to reimburse victims for their losses and provides additional sums for pain and suffering.

SCE did not reveal how much was paid, but the program says it provides 42 months of housing support, covering individuals who lost their single-family homes.

Our client, Luis Cazares, thought he was lucky.

When the Eaton Fire tore through the foothills of Altadena, his home—unlike many of his neighbors—was still standing. But relief didn’t last. The air inside was thick with chemicals, ash, and toxins. Within minutes, he felt sick. Smoke had soaked into walls, furniture, and ventilation system, rendering the house unlivable.

Luis isn’t alone. Thousands of Californians returned to homes spared by flames but poisoned by smoke. A  2025 JAMA study found that Los Angeles County experienced over 440 excess deaths following the Eaton and Palisades fires, far beyond the 31 official fatalities. And analyses summarized by the Salata Institute at Harvard link wildfire smoke to dramatic spikes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, in some cases reaching 70% above baseline during heavy-smoke periods.

As the Los Angeles wildfires died out in January, firefighters trekked through the burn zones to take stock of the destruction. For every home they found leveled, they counted another still standing. The structures looked fine from the outside, but ash and oily soot often coated the floors and furniture, while invisible chemicals burrowed into clothes, blankets and even walls.