Considered the most destructive in California history, the wildfires decimated entire neighborhoods, leaving thousands of people displaced and in distress.

First published June 18, 2025 by International Medical Corps

Emergency Overview

On January 7, a series of wildfires broke out across Los Angeles County, causing 29 deaths, displacing some 200,000 people and burning more than 16,000 homes and businesses. Fueled by dry conditions and high winds, these fires were not fully contained until January 31. Considered the most destructive in California history, the fires scorched about 50,000 acres, decimating entire neighborhoods and leaving others uninhabitable. Of the 14 wildfires that burned across Southern California between January 7 and 31, 2025, seven of the most devastating were in Los Angeles County.

The Aftermath

The wildfires reshaped communities, strained health systems and deepened existing health vulnerabilities, leaving Los Angeles County grappling with urgent and ongoing challenges.

Displacing Entire Communities

Tens of thousands of people, including members of vulnerable populations, are still struggling to find dignified shelter amid the worsening housing crisis.

Worsening Health Issues and Infectious Disease Spread

Smoke severely degraded air and water quality, triggering respiratory and cardiovascular complications, as crowded conditions in shelters led to high rates of infectious disease.

Escalating Mental Health Needs

Mental health needs skyrocketed across Southern California, with millions continuing to suffer from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions.

Overwhelming Frontline Workers and Health Facilities

Wildfires destroyed five health facilities and forced more than 30 to reduce operations, severely limiting access to essential care.

Deploying Our Emergency Medical Team

We deployed an emergency medical team (EMT) within 24 hours of the fires’ outbreak to assess conditions and begin work with local authorities and partners on a coordinated response. As part of that effort, from January 17 to February 16, we:

• deployed nine physicians, 33 nurses and 16 mental health workers;
• provided services in three Red Cross-managed shelters—at the Westwood Recreation Center, Pasadena Convention Center and College of the Canyons—and 10 community hubs, distribution sites and re-entry points; and
• reached 3,777 evacuees with health and mental health services in both English and Spanish.

Health Services

In the wake of the wildfires, our EMT delivered urgent healthcare to affected communities at shelters and other resource-access sites, ensuring continuous access to health services. Additionally, our EMT:

• conducted 1,504 health consultations;
• provided around-the-clock medical and mental health care for wildfire-affected residents at the three shelters, where we served as the sole health provider; and
• helped establish and run an isolation unit in the Pasadena shelter to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, influenza and norovirus.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

The wildfires led to loss and uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of people across Los Angeles County, resulting in a surge in mental health concerns. Our EMT also:

• conducted 1,261 MHPSS consultations, with 3,145 people reached via outreach services;
• developed and distributed tailored mental health resources, designed for first responders and affected communities, including our free online course on psychological first aid (PFA), audio exercises, other practical skill-building tools and more; and
• provided one-on-one support to affected communities—listening to their concerns, administering PFA and sharing coping techniques for trauma and loss.

Delivering Essential Medical Equipment and Supplies

We provided wildfire-affected health facilities and other partners with more than 76,400 essential relief and recovery items. So far, we have:

• provided 16 health facilities and resource-access sites with medical supplies and non-food items;
• dispensed 29,786 medical supply items, including bandages, gauze and masks;
• distributed more than 45,000 hygiene kits and dignity items, such as soap and menstrual pads;
• delivered 416 air purifiers and air-quality items to reduce respiratory and cardiovascular complications; and
• provided unhoused people displaced by the fires in Skid Row, MacArthur Park, and South and West Los Angeles with 1,196 relief and recovery items.

Supporting California’s Frontline Health Workers

We are providing direct financial assistance to support frontline health workers, health clinics and social service organizations to make sure that they’re able to continue delivering critical care. International Medical Corps:

• provided housing stipends and rental assistance to a health clinic network in a region where more than 100 staff and patients lost their homes, helping them to secure alternative housing;
• covered overtime costs for nurses and clinic staff, enabling them to provide critical outreach services to patients in fire-affected areas; and
• distributed $400,000 in direct cash assistance to three health clinics to cover rent and household essentials—such as mattresses and linens—for displaced staff and for patients.

Looking Forward

The wildfires left many health facilities and local organizations damaged or destroyed. At the same time, supplies have been depleted, and health workers have been displaced—severely limiting community members’ access to timely care. To ensure the continued recovery of Los Angeles County’s health system:

We are filling gaps in care. We’re strengthening the strained health system by deploying surge staff, supplying housing stipends, offering mental health services to frontline health workers and more.

We are prepositioning medical equipment and supplies.We’re collaborating with state and community clinic partners to preposition essential supplies—including medicines, medical supplies, hygiene items and more—for impacted health facilities, local organizations and resource-access sites.

We are conducting emergency preparedness training. Leveraging our 40 years of experience, we’re working with 30+ partners across Los Angeles County to plan and implement high-quality emergency preparedness and response training at the state, county and clinic levels—helping to ensure continuity of care in the face of future disasters. Topics include:

• continuity of essential services during emergencies;
• management of emerging infectious diseases; and
• medical hazards and vulnerability analysis.

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