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The La Grande Hotshots crew is being exposed to hazardous levels of toxic particles in the wildfire smoke, which can cause lasting damage and have led to lung disease, heart damage, and cancer in firefighters nationwide.

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As climate change makes fire seasons worse, the health of brave men and women on the front lines remains in jeopardy, with little being done to safeguard them from the invisible dangers they face in the toxic wildfire smoke.

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Toxic Wildfire Smoke Sickens Elite California Firefighters

Q: How has the U.S. Forest Service responded to the health risks faced by wildland firefighters?

The Forest Service has for decades ignored recommendations from its own scientists to monitor air quality and limit shifts when the smoke becomes unsafe, despite acknowledging the job's health risks.

29 Oct

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Summary

Elite La Grande Hotshots crew risks health fighting Green fire
Firefighters nationwide diagnosed with cancer, lung disease, heart damage
Forest Service ignores recommendations to monitor air quality, limit shifts

Toxic Wildfire Smoke Sickens Elite California Firefighters

In July 2025, an elite federal firefighting crew called the La Grande Hotshots has been sent to help battle the raging Green fire in Northern California. The 24-person crew has been working for days on the front lines, where invisible toxins hide in the thick haze.

Wildfire fighters nationwide are getting sick and dying at young ages, with many diagnosed with lung disease, heart damage, and more than a dozen kinds of cancer. The federal government acknowledges the job's health risks, but the U.S. Forest Service, which employs thousands of firefighters, has for decades ignored recommendations from its own scientists to monitor air quality and limit shifts when the smoke becomes unsafe.

On the Green fire, readings of the most lethal air particles regularly exceeded hazardous levels. Yet the La Grande crew's superintendent says he can only pull them out when the smoke becomes impossible to work in, not when the air quality is merely unhealthy. Firefighters feel they are sent into the smoke and then forgotten, with no real protections in place.