California Bill Would Require Science-Based Safety Tests Before Fire Survivors Return Home

More than a year after the Eaton Fire swept through this foothill community, thousands of survivors whose homes still stand face a question no one can definitively answer: Is it really safe to go back inside?

Assemblymember John Harabedian has introduced legislation that would, for the first time, establish statewide standards for testing and clearing homes after wildland-urban interface fires. AB 1642 would require that decisions about when residents can return be guided by public health science and engineering expertise rather than insurance company assessments or inconsistent private testing.

“This bill makes one thing clear: when it comes to our families’ health we trust science, not insurance company guesswork,” Harabedian said in a statement. “AB 1642 will create a statewide scientific standard for when it’s safe to return to a home after a wildfire. Public health will be the standard, not the exception.”

The January 2025 Eaton Fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures, making it the fifth deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in California history. While federal crews have removed debris from destroyed lots, residents in standing homes that survived have navigated a patchwork of testing protocols and insurance disputes to determine whether smoke and ash contamination makes their properties unsafe.

California currently has no enforceable standards for testing those standing homes after wildland-urban interface fires. Protocols vary, and for many harmful contaminants, thresholds for safe re-occupancy do not exist.

“Right now, there is no uniform clearance standard for standing homes after a WUI fire,” said Wilberta Richardson, co-chair of the Eaton Fire Collaborative Advocacy Committee. “Clearance Before Occupancy fixes that gap by codifying what must be tested, how it must be tested, and what levels must be met before re-occupancy.”

A November survey by Eaton Fire Residents United examined 50 homes that had undergone remediation. The results, according to the organization: 96 percent still showed elevated lead levels, and 36 percent tested positive for asbestos.

“People are exhausted, financially strained, and terrified of harming their families’ health, yet not having the insurance support to stay safe and out of their contaminated homes,” said Jane Lawton Potelle, founder and executive director of Eaton Fire Residents United. “We need science-based answers that help us come home and know it’s truly safe to do so.”

Research confirms that smoke from fires burning through the wildland-urban interface carries different hazards than smoke from wildfires in remote areas. Burning homes, vehicles, and household materials release metals, asbestos fibers, and other toxic compounds at concentrations not present in vegetation fires.

“The lack of clear environmental testing standards for re-occupying fire-impacted buildings has created real health risks and delayed economic recovery—both in California and across the country,” said Andrew Whelton, a professor of engineering at Purdue University who has advised California officials on post-fire contamination. “California has a clear opportunity to lead the nation by setting health-based standards that speed recovery while protecting public health.”

Whelton’s research team released the first evidence-based guide for post-fire building environmental testing in August 2025. The document has been downloaded more than 1,600 times by professionals, agencies, and homeowners.

The Eaton Fire Collaborative, a coalition of more than 200 community organizations coordinating recovery in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, has endorsed the legislation.

“Eaton Fire survivors have suffered incomprehensible loss,” said Bree Jensen, vice chair of the Eaton Fire Collaborative. “As recovery moves forward, the health and safety of families must be non-negotiable. Standing homes must be fully and properly remediated, and soil must be cleaned correctly and thoroughly. When Altadenans come home, they deserve to return to safe homes and neighborhoods, not environments that put their health at risk for years to come.”

Harabedian, who represents the 41st Assembly District encompassing Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and other foothill communities, has authored several wildfire recovery measures since taking office in December 2024. Governor Newsom signed his Mortgage Forbearance Act in September 2025, allowing fire-affected homeowners to defer payments for up to 12 months.

AB 1642 will be heard in Assembly policy committees this spring, according to the assemblymember’s office.

For the thousands of Altadenans who watched neighbors’ homes burn while their own walls held, the fire’s anniversary has not brought closure. It has brought a question that, until now, no one has been required to answer.