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yesterday

JAMA Studies Reveal 440 Excess Deaths and Long-Term Illness from Maui and L.A. Wildfires

Wildfire smoke and healthcare disruptions have driven lasting lung damage, depression and spikes in suicide and overdose among survivors.

The uncleared lot where a 19th victim of the Eaton Fire was found on July 24, 2025, in Altadena, Calif., bringing the official death toll to 31 more than six months after unprecedented wildfires swept through broad swaths of Los Angeles.
FILE - Damage from wildfires is seen in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023 . (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
People stand on the stump of a tree lost to the Eaton Fire during a memorial service honoring the 19 people who perished during the fire, on July 7, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. The memorial service was held at the edge of the property where Evelyn McClendon, 59, lived before losing her life in the fire.
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Overview

  • A Finland-led JAMA analysis estimates 440 more deaths in Los Angeles County between Jan. 5 and Feb. 1, 2025, than the 31 officially recorded wildfire fatalities.
  • Researchers attribute the excess mortality to prolonged smoke exposure that aggravates heart and lung conditions and to interruptions in critical medical care.
  • A University of Hawaii–led study of over 1,100 adults affected by the August 2023 Maui fire found about 22% with below-normal lung function up to 14 months later.
  • Jonathan Purtle’s New York University research reports that nearly half of surveyed Maui survivors experienced depressive symptoms, with suicide and overdose deaths nearly doubling during the fires.
  • Public health experts urge systematic post-disaster monitoring and rapid interventions to address indirect fatalities and chronic health burdens from climate-driven wildfires.