Wildfire Survivors Still Face a Slow and Uncertain Return Home Months After the Fires
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When Marianne Wisner first returned to her Pacific Palisades home after the Palisades fire, she was happy to see her house still standing, but it still had damage that made it clear the fire hadn’t left her home totally untouched.
“We went back to the house and discovered a lot of smoke, soot, damage,” Wisner said.
She assumed clean-up would be a straightforward process. Instead, it has become months of frustration and uncertainty, as she goes back and forth with insurance adjusters, contractors, and testing specialists who don’t offer clear answers to help her get back home quickly.
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Environmental consultants say Wisner’s experience reflects a larger problem across Southern California burn zones that are keeping people away from neighborhoods with homes still standing.
These homes may appear structurally intact and ready for move-in, but they are likely unsafe.
“A home that appears visually undamaged after a wildfire can still pose significant indoor air health risks,” said Franco Seif, president and CEO of environmental consulting firm Clark Seif Clark. “Smoke residues can penetrate insulation, attics, HVAC systems, and porous building materials. Those residues can include fine particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), and metals that linger long after visible cleanup,” he added.
Fires in urban areas, such as the Palisades, run the risk of contaminants from both vegetation and man-made materials spreading into homes and being absorbed into the soil.
“We often see elevated lead from burned paint and electronics, PAHs from plastics and treated wood, and sometimes asbestos from older buildings,” Seif said. “The risk isn’t just outdoors. Ash tracked inside or drawn into ventilation systems can create chronic indoor exposures if not properly addressed.”
Protect your family and garden after a wildfire. Learn how and where to get your soil tested for lead, arsenic, and other toxins, plus what to do if it’s contaminated.
Bottlenecks in Recovery
However, delays in environmental testing make it difficult for wildfire survivors to take steps in the recovery process that make them feel safe living in their homes.
“There are several bottlenecks,” Seif said. “Most important is the delays in laboratory turnaround time for environmental sampling.”
Wisner said another concern is what happens when nearby properties haven’t been restored or cleaned out.
“ The buildings around haven’t yet been remediated, and since they’re close enough where the ash can still blow in, I don’t want to clean up yet.”
Seif said the sentiment is widespread.
“There is hesitation from homeowners to proceed with testing their properties for fear of recontamination when their neighbors are clearing their lots,” he explained.
But this creates a dangerous waiting game for homeowners, which slows down the recovery process.
Learn what a public adjuster does and how they can help Los Angeles wildfire survivors get a fair insurance payout.
What’s the Plan?
The lack of standardized guidance and testing has slowed recovery for Wisner, and left her questioning how to move forward.
She said she’s surprised that there’s not already a process in place.
“Given how many fires there have been in California over how many decades, there’s not a protocol for industrial hygienists. There’s not a protocol for remediators. There’s no licensing by the state for remediators. There’s no OSHA mailing to homeowners saying ‘Your remediators need to wear this sort of PPE,’” she said. “It seems crazy that there’s not a lot of consumer-friendly infrastructure.”
Environmental consultants agree the system is fragmented. After the 2018 Woolsey Fire, LA County set up a Fire Debris Removal Program that required soil testing before rebuilding. But comparable procedures have not been established.
FEMA and state officials have also stated that they do not plan to test the soil following the Palisades and Eaton wildfires.
Without a clear standard, homeowners like Wisner are left to negotiate testing protocols on their own.
“My expectation is that it would be more straightforward and more consumer-friendly, especially both the industrial hygienist and mediator, in that there would be a standard pre-testing protocol,” she said. “Right off the bat, ‘if you’ve got this kind of a fire, you test for lead, you test for asbestos, you test for other heavy metals,’ rather than letting somebody with an adult brain post-fire negotiate with their industrial hygienist about what is proper.”
Dispute a low home insurance settlement and learn how to get help with your claim if you want to rebuild or relocate after wildfire damage. This guide explains steps to fight for a fair payout, starting with an independent estimate.
Living in Limbo
Wisner is still weighing her options. She and her family are not rushing to return home. She said none of her neighbors have returned, and there’s still a lot of work to do for the surrounding properties that burned and for her own home.
“Our garden is burned. Pretty much all our trees [and] most of our shrubs burned. The exterior light fixtures burned. One door is marshmallow-brown. It was originally white,” she said.
She goes on to describe damage like blackened stucco, melted paint on the eaves and ash-filled pool equipment.
“The fence separating our property from our neighbors, in parts, burned,” she added. “And then inside it’s covered in lead and arsenic.”
She said that delays at the county and federal levels for remediating surrounding commercial buildings and the extensive damage of other homes in the area are keeping her and her family from making any concrete plans.
“ The Army Corps of Engineers said they would be done by January 26th, but they were only doing residential properties. So they haven’t said anything about the condominiums or the commercial properties,” Wisner said. “So, I do not have a clear estimate of when I’ll be able to move back.”
In the meantime, she also faces slow insurance reimbursements, so she can’t even start planning what to do because she doesn’t know what type of budget she’s working with.
“ The insurance company hasn’t yet fully paid me… I’ve sent in things for repayment, and they haven’t done it. I assume because their policy is everything has to be cleaned, they haven’t paid me for anything,” she said. “It’s just these delays on their end.”
The weight of all this has left her wondering if returning is worth it.
“I don’t know if I want to live in a construction zone for years,” Wisner said. “It’s also kind of a ghost town.”
Architects can help wildfire survivors navigate building codes, permits, and costs. This guide explains what they do and provides tips for choosing the right one.
What Can Wildfire Survivors Do?
Experts say wildfire survivors in similar situations can take steps to protect themselves while going through the recovery process.
- Request full-spectrum testing: Make sure consultants test for lead, asbestos, PAHs, and other heavy metals. Don’t assume a basic smoke test is enough.
- Document everything: Keep copies of all your testing results, contractor bids, insurance communications, and receipts. Record conversations for yourself, and let the other party know you are recording. You may face many delays, but having thorough documentation will help with any appeals or disputes.
- Coordinate with neighbors: Partner up with your neighbors to align cleanup schedules and share notes on what insurers, remediation companies, and contractors are saying to you. This will help reduce the risk of recontamination or being taken advantage of.
- Push for clarity: Homeowners have the right to ask regulators and insurers for written protocols and clear explanations of what is being tested and why. Don’t be afraid to ask for email summaries of what was said in person as well.
Wisner believes the state needs to provide stronger consumer protections so survivors aren’t left to navigate this alone.
“ This is an area where I think there’s a lot of room for standardization and help from the state. To make sure victims aren’t victimized again.”
Until then, wildfire survivors remain in limbo.
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