“DANGER: Lead Work Area” reads a sign on a front door of an Altadena home. “May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.”

Block after block there are reminders that contaminants still linger.

House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and homeowners alike come and go wearing masks, respirators, gloves and hazmat suits as they wipe, vacuum and power-wash homes that weren’t burnt to ash.

It’s been a year of heartbreak and worry since the most destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area’s history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people. Two wind-whipped blazes that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. Rebuilding will take years.

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.

• Zaire Calvin grew up in Altadena. For nearly a year since the Eaton fire destroyed his town, he has become a voice for his community.

• His mom bought his childhood home in the 1970s when Altadena was one of the few places Black families could own properties. Years ago, he bought the house next door. Both homes are gone now.

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.

• The Collaboratory, an Altadena disaster relief hub, opened in October to house nonprofits serving fire survivors still rebuilding after January’s Eaton fire.

• The hub consolidates scattered aid for housing, mental health and permitting to address the complex needs survivors face.

• As charitable attention fades, the Collaboratory is a critical lifeline for those still at risk of community displacement.

The first thing you see when you walk into the Collaboratory in Altadena is a wall of devastation. A floor-to-ceiling map of every lot lost to the Eaton fire in January — 9,413 structures. Each marked with a red dot on a grid of streets that have looked like a charred moonscape for 11 months.

The wall is a harrowing depiction of loss in the Eaton fire. But one turn to the right, and hope kicks back in.

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.