After the Flames in Post-Fire WUI Homes
From building materials, to fire, to the air inside returning homes, our research follows the full chain and shares findings back with the communities affected.
Embedded Files
The project is funded by the NSF Grant (2530245) and the Spiegel Family Fund.
The 150 low-cost PM sensors were donated by Airthings Inc.
The NSF Grant Co-PIs: Dr. Neil E Klepeis and Dr. Luca Carmignani. Link to SDSU News
1. Indoor Speciated Airborne Pollutants and Dust Sampling
1. Indoor Speciated Airborne Pollutants and Dust Sampling
Three sampling rounds:
Round 1 (Mar 2025): before remediation — 16 Eaton, 3 Palisades homes
Round 2 (Aug 2025): post-remediation vs. untouched — 9 Eaton, 1 Palisades
Round 3 (Feb 2026): long-term changes — 10 Eaton homes
Measurements:
PM, BC, TVOC, speciated metals and VOCs
Surface wipe samples for ICP-MS and GC-MS analysis
Contextual interviews with homeowners
2. Long-term Indoor PM Monitoring at 150 Homes
2. Long-term Indoor PM Monitoring at 150 Homes
The study uses low-cost PM sensors' data in Altadena and Pasadena to evaluate the impact of home conditions and daily routines on post-fire indoor particulate levels.
These measurements were integrated with responses from a post-fire questionnaire survey to provide additional context. Link to the survey
Reports
Report 1 (April–August 2025): Captured the immediate post‑fire period, when smoke intrusion and fire‑related particulate matter were most relevant.
Report 2 (August 2025–January 2026): Extended the analysis into the fall and winter, observing seasonal changes and longer‑term trends in PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ levels.
3. Stationary Monitoring of Airborne Particulate Metals
3. Stationary Monitoring of Airborne Particulate Metals
TARTA was deployed at Odyssey Charter School–South in Altadena between April and June 2025, in collaboration with Dr. Sina Hasheminassab from NASA JPL.
Key Results
TARTA continuously detected Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn over multiple months in the Eaton fire cleanup area
TARTA showed strong correlation with South Coast AQMD's ICP-MS filter measurements from nearby sites for Cu, Mg, and Cr.
4. Residential Fuel Loading in the Eaton Fire
4. Residential Fuel Loading in the Eaton Fire
We have developed the first structure-resolved combustible fuel inventory for a major WUI fire using using damage records, property data, and era‑specific material estimates.
Key Results
The aggregate structural combustible mass is approximately 79,000 tons, with a mean fuel loading factor of 92 kg/m².
Commonly used uniform assumptions overestimate combustible material by up to 65%; correcting this bias enables more accurate smoke emission estimates, exposure assessments, and public health evaluations for future WUI fire events.
Manuscript Under Review
Hanyang Li, Ehsan Goftari, Kamden Conley, David Goldstein, Andreas Lundberg, Luca Carmignani, and Neil E. Klepeis, Residential Structure-Resolved Fuel Loading for Emissions Estimation in a Wildland–Urban Interface Fire.
5. Climate, Carbon, and the Hidden Complexity of Fire Emissions
5. Climate, Carbon, and the Hidden Complexity of Fire Emissions
When a home burns in a wildfire, it releases toxic pollutants into the air; when a home is built to resist wildfire, the materials used in its construction release greenhouse gases during manufacturing that persist in the atmosphere. This study is the first to weigh these two atmospheric costs against each other.
Manuscript Under Review
Hanyang Li and Andreas Lundberg, Atmospheric Tradeoffs of Combustible-to-Noncombustible Material Transitions in Wildfire-Prone Communities.
6. Laboratory Combustion Experiments
6. Laboratory Combustion Experiments
We are planning a series of controlled combustion experiments to burn common residential building materials found in WUI homes and characterize what they release, both into the air and onto surrounding surfaces. Experiments are expected to begin in summer 2026.
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