After the Fires: Fourth in a series about health risks following the Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed Pacific Palisades and Altadena. This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center .

ALTADENA, Calif.—Her cozy blue bungalow was the one thing Adriana Valdez thought she didn’t have to worry about.

Her days were busy with work as a therapist and juggling care for her two neurodivergent children and her husband who has lymphoma. Home was their safe place.

“The house was a beacon of excitement, of confidence. Now it’s just grief and consumption,” Valdez said, referring to her efforts, months after the Eaton Fire, to return to the two-story home now contaminated with chemicals that she fears could harm her loved ones.

Her younger son, Max, 7, is severely autistic and nonverbal. His broth

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