When Connie returned to her home in Pasadena, it wasn’t the safe haven she was used to. After being evacuated twice due to the major January 2025 fires, once from her home and again from a temporary hotel stay, she came back to walls coated in leftover ash, air thick with smoke residue.
Each morning then started to begin in the same way, with chest tightness and sinus congestion. Her husband, unwell and relying on her care, breathed the same contaminated air. Like many wildfire survivors whose homes weren’t destroyed but were damaged by smoke, Connie’s recovery was unfolding largely unnoticed by the outside world. With no insurance coverage and few options for assistance, she and her husband were left to manage the cleanup alone.
“It’s very traumatizing, even for someone like me who didn’t lose their home.”
Why Smoke Remediation?
Wildfires create immeasurable destruction on their path, as well as a different kind of danger in spaces that appear intact. The smoke left behind in homes near and far, the flames bring about a whole new set of health problems for humans and their pets alike. Smoke infiltration can cause eye and skin irritation, trigger respiratory distress, and worsen chronic health conditions like asthma, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For children, pregnant women, and older adults, the risks are even more severe.
Comprehensive smoke remediation, which involves cleaning every surface, crack, wall and item, can cost mindbending sums upwards of $10,000. For many families, that cost is simply out of reach.
In spring 2025, Connie’s journey toward recovery took a new turn when she connected with our local recovery team. Thanks to your support, All Hands & Hearts volunteers were there to begin smoke remediation work in her home by scrubbing, sealing, and helping restore her safety and peace of mind.
Making Remediation Accessible
To meet the growing need, All Hands & Hearts (AH&H) partnered with Fire Poppy Project, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) to launch a dedicated smoke remediation program in Pasadena and Altadena. These communities, home to a vibrant, diverse population where 58% of residents identify as people of color, were hit hard by the fallout of the LA County wildfires. Many residents are renters or low-income families, often left out of formal recovery systems.
Together, this partnership is bringing together paid, trained workers and volunteers to make smoke remediation accessible to those most in need. Families are enrolled through a coordinated case management process, and each home is tested for lead and asbestos to ensure safe and effective cleanup.
Connie’s story is just one of many. With your continued support, we can keep showing up to help families return to truly safe homes.
