When is a home safe after a wildfire? California passes first smoke standards

California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for testing and remediation for smoke contamination from wildfires, with a pair of bills passed Monday.

After a wildfire fills a house with smoke, when is it safe to return? With a pair of bills passed Monday, California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for that contamination risk.

Since last year’s fires in Los Angeles, thousands of people have remained displaced or stuck in temporary housing, even though many of them own homes that survived the blazes. But because there are no consistent requirements for testing and remediating toxins in smoke, like lead and asbestos, which can settle into walls and ducts during a wildfire, the residents fear that moving back to their homes could make them sick.

The uncertainty has left many California homeowners at war with their insurers.

State Assembly Member John Harabedian, who represents Altadena, where the Eaton Fire killed 19 people and burned about 9,400 homes and structures, authored one of the bills passed this week.

“I think this is going to be extremely helpful for those Eaton and Palisades fire survivors who continue to litigate and fight these issues with their insurance carriers,” he said. “Many families haven’t been able to resolve these disputes because there is no objective metric, there is no actual goalpost, and there is no certainty.”