Pasadena firefighters who battled Eaton Fire dealing with symptoms from smoke, toxins
Firefighters at Pasadena Fire Station 38 were among the first to start fighting the raging Eaton Fire and to start breathing in its toxic smoke.
Pasadena firefighters who battled the Eaton Fire are waiting to receive blood test results after experiencing severe symptoms from the smoke.
KCAL News
"For many of us, it was the worst exposure of our careers. Everybody shared similar symptoms," said Capt. Dave Marquez, from the Pasadena Fire Department.
A few firefighters from the station said the smoke not only burned their eyes and throat, they said it also caused headaches and fatigue.
"I was coughing up black stuff probably for about four days afterwards," said Kevin Adiar. "I couldn't eat any food for the first day. I was just throwing up and I had to have oxygen on my face."
These firefighters said there was no way to protect themselves from the unprecedented wildfire that morphed into an urban nightmare.
They usually have masks that they use inside toxic building fires. The idea is that it covers their face, and it's sealed. They have a certain amount of oxygen in a tank that prevents them from breathing in the harmful smoke around them.
The masks are not normally needed during outdoor wildfires and wouldn't have been able to hold up for the 36 hours Pasadena's firefighters battled nonstop.
"I was able to breathe out of the bottles we have for a while until we ran out of air," sod Erik Seymour."
Weeks ago, Pasadena's firefighters joined crews from other departments in submitting blood and urine samples for testing. They're taking part in a large University of Arizona study and are still waiting to learn the levels of lead and other heavy metals and toxins in their bodies.
"The uncertainty amongst us is very high right now," Marquez said. "We don't know what's going on inside of us."
Marquez said shortly after the fire, Pasadena brought in specialists who gave them holistic treatments, including acupuncture and that seemed to help. He said the test results will help the department decide what to do next.
Marquez explained that the protective equipment they test daily has evolved as fire leaders became aware of the numerous heightened health risks firefighters face, like a higher likelihood of developing numerous cancers.
"His name was Andre Jones. He was a great person. He was a firefighter's firefighter, one of the funniest, kindest people I've ever met," Marquez said.
Marquez said the loss of one of his earliest mentors to cancer compelled him to pursue change, starting with what fuels their trucks.
"When we are on a call for a while and our engines are running, we're breathing the exhaust," he said.
Now, because of a decade-long push spearheaded by Marquez, Pasadena's whole fleet runs on cleaner fuel.
"Pasadena is one of the only cities and fire departments in the area that operate with a renewable diesel fuel without any carcinogens in it," Marquez said.
He has also been working to secure funding to track 50 different types of cancer in Pasadena's firefighters. His crew said that protecting their community is rewarding.
Marquez believes part of this department's legacy should also be protecting them.
"Most of us here, the men and women in this department, have their families that they go home to, and they do come first," Marquez said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Researchers take bold action to combat deadly disease carried by insects: 'People ... have no idea'
Researchers take bold action to combat deadly disease carried by insects: 'People ... have no idea' Arizona researchers want the state's residents to send them their ticks to help track these parasites and the diseases they carry, including one rare but deadly illness. What's happening? Kathleen Walker, professor of entomology and an extension specialist at the University of Arizona, has been leading the Great Arizona Tick Check for the past two years, according to AZ Central. The goal is to create a database to map the distribution of different species of ticks in the state, along with the diseases they can carry, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This deadly disease was first discovered in Arizona in 2003. While this illness was already known elsewhere, Arizona became the first place where scientists confirmed that brown dog ticks — found in every Arizona county — can carry the rare bacterium that causes it. Walker told the news site that her team wants to find diseases in ticks before they find them in people. They're asking people to remove any ticks they find on pets, livestock, or themselves and send them into the UA lab. Once in their hands, Walker's team will ID the ticks and test them for pathogens. She said she also hopes the project will serve an educational role for area residents. "It's rare in Arizona to encounter ticks, but when people do, they have no idea (about the risks)," she told AZ Central. Why are tick-borne diseases concerning? Out of the hundreds of ticks Walker's team has tested so far, none of them have had Rickettsia rickettsii, the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Nonetheless, it's out there. According to AZ Central, there have been over 500 reported cases and about 25 deaths in Arizona due to Rocky Mountain spotted fever since 2002. And fatality rates are seven times higher in Arizona compared to the national rate. Nationally, concern about tick-borne diseases is growing, as warmer weather is enabling these arachnids to extend their ranges and active seasons. For instance, a deer tick was recently found on a dog in Montana — this species, which can carry Lyme disease, is traditionally found in the Midwest and the East Coast. Lyme disease can lead to severe consequences like numbness or weakness in the hands and feet, rashes on various body parts, and irregular heartbeat, per the Mayo Clinic. AGS causes an allergic reaction to red meat and other products made from mammals. What's being done about tick-borne diseases? If you live in Arizona, one way you can help is by sending any ticks you find to the UA researchers — just follow the instructions on their website. Walker also urges people to seek medical attention if they are experiencing any symptoms. Meanwhile, the best way to prevent tick-borne diseases is to avoid getting bitten by ticks in the first place. The CDC recommends treating clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin; avoiding wooded and brushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter; walking in the center of trails; and inspecting gear, pets, and clothing for ticks when you return inside from being outdoors. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Elusive jaguar seen on trail camera in southern Arizona is 'good news,' experts say
One of Arizona's most elusive sights showed up in a series of trail camera images collected by volunteer scientists in a Sky Islands mountain range near the U.S.-Mexico border: a jaguar roaming a remote landscape. The image is the latest of five jaguar sightings documented this summer by the University of Arizona's Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center and their team of citizen scientists. Researchers said all of the images are of the same male jaguar, which was last seen in the same area over a year and a half ago. 'We're really excited that it's on the landscape again, because it speaks volumes about the biodiversity of the ecosystem,' said Susan Malusa, a biogeographer and co-coordinator for the researcher center. 'It's good news to see that an ecosystem is healthy for tiny little herbivores up to these apex predators.' The University of Arizona's jaguar and ocelot monitoring program has been operating for almost 15 years, collecting over 200 detections (which include photo, video and DNA samples) of four jaguars documented in the region for scientific research. The program also contributes to the research of dozens of other species, including protected ocelots, gray wolves and golden eagles. The camera traps are almost entirely maintained by citizen scientists, who are volunteers trained by the center. 'We really do want people to recognize the community-driven science here,' said Malusa, who has managed the project since 2011. 'This is a wonderful group of people, and their commitment has made this happen.' Sky Islands: Where the border wall ends, wildlife survives. Advocates fear losses if the gaps close Border wall, mining challenge jaguar recovery in Arizona Jaguars are the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere, and are best characterized by their distinctive spots, known as rosettes, which form a unique pattern specific to each jaguar and help researchers identify individual jaguars from photos. There have been eight jaguars photographed in the United States since 1996. The cats were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. The long-term datasets collected by the university's monitoring project help researchers understand the species' habitat range and contribute to the conservation and recovery of the binational population. Primary threats to jaguars in the United States include habitat loss and fragmentation, which have been highlighted in recent years by controversial mining projects and border wall construction in southern Arizona. For more stories about Arizona wildlife: Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly environment newsletter. In 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated over 750,000 acres of critical habitat for the species along the border in southern Arizona and New Mexico, but that area was reduced by about 65,000 acres in 2024 after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, hearing a lawsuit filed by mining company Rosemont Copper, a subsidiary of the Canadian Hudbay Minerals, found the federal government didn't prove the acreage was essential to the species' survival. In July, conservation groups sued the Trump administration over plans to construct a border wall across the San Rafael Valley, one of the last stretches of untouched borderlands where jaguars and ocelots have been documented crossing into the United States from Mexico. John Leos covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to Environmental coverage on and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Male jaguar shows up on trail cameras in southern Arizona Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
10-08-2025
- Washington Post
A rare jaguar roams Arizona. Border wall expansion imperils its future.
A rare sight was captured by a night-vision trail camera in July: a grown jaguar, roaming through southern Arizona. Researchers at the University of Arizona's Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center call him Jaguar Number Four, a big cat that roamed across the United States-Mexico border through the San Rafael wildlife corridor. As of July 4, the same cat has been detected five times by cameras placed south of Tucson, said Susan Malusa, director of the Wild Cat Center.
