As Western States Face Wildfires, Researchers Look at Mental Health Impacts

This year’s fire season is outpacing last year’s record-breaking season in California, consuming more than double the acreage burned by this time last year. In the Golden State and throughout the Western U.S., fire season is starting earlier and ending later, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as more than 4,900 fires have burned in the state since the year began, posing an extended threat to communities throughout the region.

But besides the devastating damage fire can inflict on communities, experts are only beginning to understand the mental health risk of fire and smoke, according to a recent report from the University of California—Los Angeles.