Jan. 7 marked one year since wildfire erupted over the Pacific Palisades. By month’s end, more than 10 wildfires — including the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth, Hughes and Sepulveda fires — had ignited, burning more than 55,000 acres of land, destroying nearly 16,000 homes and claiming approximately 440 lives.

Though the fires were extinguished, their effects live on. One year later, UCLA Health experts say long-term threats to lung health, mental well-being and overall community wellness remain.

“This was a catastrophic event that changed much of Los Angeles — its community, its landscape and our health,” said Dr. David Eisenman, professor-in-residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “Families have not returned to their homes, and high levels of pollutants remain in communities. It’s a tough place to be a year later.”

Read the full story from the UC Newsroom

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