This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. It is third in a series about health risks following the Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed Pacific Palisades and Altadena. This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Nicholas Spada was used to fielding urgent requests when wildfire smoke blanketed cities. But these weren’t the usual calls.
For one thing, it wasn’t even fire season.
Winter was supposed to be the quiet period when wildfires die down and researchers like Spada perform instrument maintenance, write grant proposals and go home for dinner.
Instead, 2025’s so-called offseason ignited January 7, when the Santa Ana winds came howling through