9th January 2025, Los Angeles: What if the clean and fresh air around suddenly turns into a blanket of strong smoke and ash? Los Angeles residents are living this nightmare the wildfires affected the air quality and resulted in dangerous pollution levels. Recently, Los Angeles Wildfires 2025 to 20th January resulted in 27 residents losing their lives. The major aftermath effect of the fire is the smoke! In an article, a resident reported to CNN “We couldn’t breathe anymore. We had all the filters going in the house, the HEPA filters and nothing seemed to work.”
According to CAL Fire, 40,603 Acres have burned in the Los Angeles Wildfires so far. As a result, the smoke covers the entire area and chokes the air for everyone. The current images and videos from fire points and nearby areas show that dark smoke covers every area. Here is how the air quality became the worst in Los Angeles! Also, check the comparison of the same air quality for two days in Los Angeles and more days in any other area.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025
The air quality of Los Angeles Before and After the WildFire 2025:
Los Angeles AQI levels mostly remain in the “Good” to “Moderate” category. Air pollution is not a concern in the city. But for two days, the city has been facing new records in the air quality levels. A surge in PM2.5 levels and overall AQI levels has been recorded in the last two days. It is noted that the air quality has crossed the “Unhealthy” levels in the city and other nearby areas.
The sudden decline in the air quality in the city has caused panic situation among residents as they already have to evacuate their houses and cities to protect themselves from fire. But now they are struggling with the air pollution as well. So, the AQI levels in the “Poor” to “Unhealthy” category can result in serious health risks. Moreover, the sudden rise in harmful pollutants resulting in smoke and ash can impact any person living in Los Angeles.
Air quality alert: Affected areas in L.A
The L.A. wildfire in 2025 on Wednesday resulted in poor air quality that required the alerts. Hence, some major areas have high alerts for severe air quality. It includes the Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Valley and the Los Angeles County coastal areas. Many data have claimed that a total of 7 wildfires are burning Los Angeles County including Pacific Palisades and Sylmar neighbourhoods of Los Angeles and the City of Pasadena nearby areas.
The sudden rise in air pollution affected the residents and they are forced to breathe polluted air. However, the government has passed many advisories to control the exposure of air quality to every resident. Thus, they have suggested to stay inside and close all windows. Also, runs air purifiers or air conditioners to clean the indoor air. However, these solutions are failing in front of severe levels of pollutants. This level of air pollution is unfamiliar to many residents living in Los Angeles County.
What’s a Crisis in Los Angeles is Everyday Life in North India: AQI Comparison
Los Angeles Wildfire 2025 resulted in air pollution for just a few days. Usually, the air quality levels remain in the “Good” category. But do you know what L.A.’s emergency conditions are in everyday life in most of North India? Yes, AQI levels in Delhi and other cities regularly remain in the “Unhealthy” to “Severe” category without any presence of wildfires.
The continuous air pollution in Delhi and nearby areas resulted from many factors including:
- Stubble burning in the neighbouring states
- Vehicular emission
- Industrial emissions
- Construction dust and other activities.
Now here the question arises, how are residents of Delhi suffering the air pollution levels at this surge? What’s new for L.A. in air quality is a seasonal norm for Delhi. The panic about air pollution and urgency is often absent in Delhi.
Conclusion:
The recent Los Angeles wildfires in 2025 have affected many lives. In just two days, the residents have breathed the most polluted air in the city. It resulted in a critical need for effective air quality management and public health preparedness. So, the rapid changes in the AQI levels require immediate advisory to monitor air quality frequently, follow the health advisory and make informed decisions to safeguard your health during wildfires.
