As LA schools prepare to reopen, toxic ash poses a threat
California schools were destroyed by the Palisades fire
A spokesperson for Los Angeles Unified confirmed to Fox News Digital that Palisades Charter High School, Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Elementary School sustained significant damage in the Palisades fire. (Credit: FOX 11)
As schools begin to reopen in areas affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, parents fear toxic ash could harm their children.
Kelly Fearon’s girls’ school, Canyon Charter Elementary, could open as soon as Monday. But after clearing the campus a half-mile from the devastating Palisades Fire itself, Fearon told The Associated Press she’d prefer to relocate temporarily rather than reopen quickly.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District has never had a disaster like this in their history,” Fearon told the AP. “And I think people are trying very hard, but our school needs a new temporary home with classrooms and teachers teaching in person. That’s the only thing that makes people feel comfortable.”
Ash is a toxic soup of burned cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other personal possessions. Ash contains pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead, all of which children are more vulnerable to, but scientists still don’t know the long-term health effects of exposure.
California rains help firefighters respond to wild animals, but toxic ash poses threat
Kelly Fearon walks her daughter to a makeshift school Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Los Angeles as they wait for Canyon Charter Elementary School to reopen after the Palisades fire damaged it with smoke and ash. (Brittany Peterson)
Canyon Charter Elementary School is closed Wednesday, January 22, 2025 in Santa Monica, California following a nearby wildfire. (Brittany Peterson)
“Children often have hand-to-mouth behavior and their bodies are growing rapidly in these first few years, and therefore they may be more sensitive to this type of pollution,” said Dr. Lisa Patel, pediatrician and medical director. Community Coalition on Climate and Health for AP “In terms of vulnerability, there will be a risk that will come for some time.”
“The seven Los Angeles Unified School District sites adjacent to the Palisades Fire have been cleared and verified by environmental consultants prior to reopening.” School district he said.
LA County school districts have announced fire-related closures; Permanent ‘significant damage’ to at least 3 buildings
A jungle gym melts and is destroyed by the Eaton fire at a school in Altadena, California on January 15, 2025. (John Locher, file)
The work was “under the guidance of the following wildfire-affected schools: California Department of Education, California Environmental Protection Agency, California Department of Emergency Services, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the US Environmental Protection Agency,” LAUSD said.
While some are still fighting for safety in their schools, others have no school to return to.
January 22, 2025 Smoke rises from the Hughes Fire over Castaic California. (Ethan Swope, File)
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“Community is gone, my son’s school is gone, my son’s mom’s house is on fire,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Chris Pratt shared on social media. Pratt and his ex-wife Anna Faris share a 12-year-old son, Jack.
Fox News’ Stephanie Jiang-Paunon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.