Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Tracy Quinn, who heads the Heal the Bay group, was looking over the damages along the California coast after the recent Palisades Fire. Ash tinged the shoreline while remains of home appliances pocked the sand. The waves didn’t help either, as they sent bits of burnt houses and toxic ash back into the sea.
Impacts of Fire on Ocean Life
As heartbreaking as the debris-strewn beaches are, the underlying concern stretches further into the ocean. When fires like the Palisades and Eaton, which have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, get so close to the ocean, they don’t just burn buildings—they create hazardous waste. Items you find around the house—like electronics and cars—burn up and turn into dangerous ash that has a whole bunch of bad stuff like lead and plastic in it.
This mess not only dirties the beaches but could also slip into the ocean, putting our sea life at risk. “We haven’t seen a concentration of homes and buildings burned so close to the water,” said Quinn, expressing the unique threat this situation poses to marine environments.
Safety Concerns for Beachgoers and Swimmers
After fires, rain can make things worse by washing all these new, harmful materials into the ocean. This is a big worry for people who love the beach, as these contaminants can make the water risky for swimming or surfing, especially right after it rains. Recently, Los Angeles County took steps to manage this. They set up things like sandbags and concrete barriers to stop debris from reaching the beaches, and they also want to do more beach clean-ups and check the ocean water to make sure it’s safe.
What This Means for Marine Life
Researchers are on the move too. Julie Dinasquet, a marine ecologist from Scripps, was part of a team that went out to sea during the fires. They spotted ash and other waste floating way out—up to 100 miles from the shore. They even caught the scent of burning electronics in the air, “not like a nice campfire.”
Here’s what that means. Besides being a danger to beach lovers, these pollutants can mess with the food chain in the sea. Important nutrients like nitrogen could boost some marine life temporarily. But harmful substances like heavy metals might build up in fish, which is bad news not just for the fish but potentially for anyone who eats them.
Long-term Environmental Concerns
The long-term effects are still a bit of a question mark. Folks from the Scripps team and other scientists are trying to figure out how far and deep the ash and debris have spread across the ocean floor. They’re particularly worried about materials like lead and asbestos, found in large amounts in the ash, because they’re known to be really harmful.
What remains clear from events like the Palisades Fire is that our oceans are bearing the brunt of damage from both natural and man-made disasters happening on land. Regents like Mara Dias from the Surfrider Foundation point out that the ocean has been a dumping ground for pollution from our cities for a long time, but now things look even bleaker with the compounded effects of fires and other disasters.
“It’s like everything is stacking up, and it’s pretty grim,” – Dias.
As we look ahead, the response from local and federal agencies will be crucial in tackling these unprecedented challenges. Continuing efforts in cleanup, monitoring, and preventative measures will play a big role in safeguarding our marine environments and the communities that depend on them.
