Wildfire Season and Your AC System: What LA Homeowners Need to Know
When wildfire smoke fills the LA air, your AC system becomes your first line of defense for keeping your indoor air clean and breathable. September through November is wildfire season in Southern California. Recent years have shown us that smoke can travel hundreds of miles to mess with air quality throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. The January 2025 fires alone destroyed over 12,300 homes and forced 200,000 people to evacuate. You can’t control what’s happening outside, but you can definitely protect your indoor air quality. Your family’s health depends on it. The Reality of Wildfire Impact The Eaton and Palisades fires are now some of the worst wildfires in California history. During the worst days of the January 2025 fires, twelve air quality sensors near the fires showed PM2.5 levels in the “Hazardous” range. That’s scary stuff. EPA stations detected bad PM2.5 levels reaching “Unhealthy” and “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” in downtown LA and Compton. And that’s not just an outdoor problem. How Smoke Gets Into Your Home Wildfire smoke doesn’t stay outside. Those tiny particles slip through windows, doors, and even small cracks in your house. Once they’re inside, smoke particles can stick around for days
