Across this county, we have sadly learned firsthand how devastating the impact of urban wildfires can be. From coast to coast and everything in between, we now know that no place is 100% safe from these disasters. From California’s Palisades and Eaton Fires to Colorado’s Marshall Fire, and even Long Island wildfires in New York, we are slowly learning more about how these events impact homes long after the flames go out.
Why Urban Wildfires are Different
Urban wildfires are different from true forest wildfire events. Rather than burning just natural vegetation, such as trees and grasses, urban wildfires also burn a wide range of man-made materials in and around urban areas, including plastics, paints, power lines, microwaves, Tesla batteries, cars, and TVs. As a result, urban wildfires release significantly more toxic smoke and harmful chemicals than traditional wildfires. Complicating matters is that oftentimes these toxins are super tiny– even as small as a thirtieth the width of a human hair – which is small enough to enter a person’s bloodstream. 1 After an urban wildfire, homes can contain elevated levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and carcinogens. 2
Damage Doesn’t Only Come from Flames
When most homeowners think about an urban wildfire impacting their home, they imagine the smell, picture the charred walls, bubbled siding, holes in their roofs, destroyed belongings, and maybe a home completely burned down with nothing left standing. But what many homeowners don’t realize is that even when the flames never directly touch their home, smoke and soot can leave behind dangerous chemicals and toxins. These contaminants don’t just linger in the air. They embed themselves into walls, ceilings, insulation, and HVAC systems, often traveling far beyond the areas noticeable by the naked eye. Without proper assessment and remediation protocols, these toxins can remain in the home for weeks, months, or even years to come.
That’s why empowering policyholders to understand these lesser-known and less understood dangers is critical if you ever find yourself in this scary situation. Knowing your rights and options in advance will help policyholders work with their insurance companies to effectively handle a smoke damage claim.
Why Industrial Hygienist Testing Matters
Because these toxins often travel invisibly through the home, only scientific testing can reveal the true scope of contamination. An industrial hygienist is professionally trained to identify, measure, and analyze environmental hazards inside your home. After a fire or smoke event, they can:
- Assess air quality to detect harmful particles and chemicals.
- Test surfaces and materials for soot, ash, char, heavy metals and other contaminants. 3
- Evaluate the HVAC system where smoke and soot often accumulate.
- Create remediation and restoration protocols to safely bring your home back to its pre-fire condition and retest the home, if necessary, once the recommended cleaning has been performed.
An Insurance Claim
If you need to open an insurance claim after a fire or smoke loss, consider asking your insurance company to send an industrial hygienist out to test your home. Such testing can include, but is not limited to, tape lift samples, surface samples, and testing of the wall cavities to understand the full scope of the potential contamination.
Sadly, many insurance companies only authorize basic surface cleaning protocols when a home is damaged by smoke alone. While this may sometimes be effective in cleaning homes, more often, additional measures are required. Bringing in an industrial hygienist can help provide a more comprehensive understanding of the damage so that both the policyholder and the insurance company fully understand the situation. Remember, you don’t have to accept the first cleaning protocol offered by your insurer if you don’t feel it fully addresses your home’s safety.
Policyholders should keep all written requests for industrial hygienist testing made to their insurance carrier and maintain copies of all test results, as these can be vital in claim disputes. Insurance carriers often won’t bring in an industrial hygienist unless the homeowner specifically requests it — or hires one independently.
Policyholders can also request to utilize their Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage benefits (if available) from their insurance carrier while the extent of the damage to their home is pending. This could include having your family remain out of the home and staying at a hotel or other temporary housing while the proper experts are conducting the necessary tests. Relying solely on restoration contractors without independent testing by an industrial hygienist could be risky — cleaning may make surfaces look fine, while dangerous residues remain hidden from the naked eye.
The Bottom Line
Whether your home sustained direct fire damage or smoke damage, industrial hygienist testing is essential to ensure your home is safe for your family. If you find yourself in this situation, the attorneys at Merlin Law Group can help protect your rights and guide you through the process.
1 https://grist.org/health/california-wildfire-smoke-eaton-palisades-excess-mortality
2 https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2025/01/02/3-years-later-marshall-fire-impacts-still-being-learned
3 Bahr, Sarah. “Venturing Inside L.A.’s Toxic Homes.” New York Times, 3 July 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/insider/los-angeles-fires-toxic-homes.html.