Assessing Indoor Versus Outdoor PM2.5 Concentrations During the 2025 Los Angeles Fires Using the PurpleAir Sensor Network

Yan Lu, Xinyi Zhang, Soroush Esmaeili Neyestani, Ling Jin, Lu Zhang, Rima Habre, Jiachen Zhang 

In January 2025, a series of fast-moving wildland-urban-interface (WUI) fires swept through the Los Angeles (LA) metropolitan area, causing severe air pollution. While the impacts of WUI fires on outdoor air quality have been extensively studied, indoor exposure remains less understood, despite most people sheltering indoors during WUI fires. This study investigates the spatial and temporal patterns of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations across the South Coast Air Basin, with a focus on LA County during the LA fires. Using high-resolution data from co-located indoor and outdoor PurpleAir (PA) sensors, we analyze hourly PM2.5 levels and indoor/outdoor ratios. Outdoor PM2.5 concentrations spiked sharply during the fires, reaching unhealthy levels exceeding 130 μg/m³, compared to the mean concentration (12 μg/m³) during non-fire hours. Indoor concentrations also increased, though to a lesser extent, peaking around 60 μg/m³ compared to a mean of 7 μg/m³ during non-fire hours. This reflects the partial shielding that indoor environments provide from outdoor air pollution. The mean (0.42) and median (0.29) indoor/outdoor PM2.5 ratios during LA fire hours were lower than the mean (0.93) and median (0.66) ratios during non-fire hours. Indoor/outdoor PM2.5 ratios across sensors showed a wide distribution, reflecting differences in building characteristics and occupant behavior, such as indoor activities and the use of air purifiers. These findings emphasize the need for guidance and interventions to reduce indoor PM2.5 exposure and protect public health during extreme WUI fire events.