Natural Disasters: Wildfires

Human Health & the Environment

Dr. Alicia M. Rich

Tue Sep 16, 2025

Human Health & the Environment
Tue Sep 16, 2025

Natural Disasters: Wildfires

Immediate/Direct Hazards

Burn injuries & fatalities
from flames, radiant heat, entrapment


Trauma
during evacuation (vehicle crashes, falls, stress-related events)


Acute smoke exposure
respiratory distress, asthma attacks, COPD exacerbations


Firefighting & responder risks
heat stress, smoke inhalation, physical injury.

Water, Soil & Food Systems

Water contamination
Ash and debris runoff into reservoirs, rivers, groundwater.
Chemicals from burned infrastructure (plastics, metals).


Soil erosion
downstream flooding, sediment loads.


Food insecurity
if agricultural areas burn (loss of crops, livestock, pasture).

Infrastructure & Access to Care

Healthcare disruption
clinics, hospitals evacuated/damaged; staff displaced.


Power outages
loss of refrigeration for medications, oxygen concentrators, dialysis.


Transportation blockages
hinder access to emergency care.


Shelter quality
overcrowding, poor ventilation, increased risk of infectious disease.

Air Quality & Smoke

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10)
deep lung penetration, systemic inflammation.


Gases
carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, volatile organics.


Sensitive populations
children, older adults, pregnant individuals, people with chronic lung/heart disease


Geographic spread
smoke plumes travel hundreds–thousands of miles → health impacts far beyond burn zone

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