Environment & Climate
Oregon county ties as deadliest US region for wildfire smoke deaths, study finds
A 2025 study highlights growing health risks from wildfire smoke in Josephine County, Oregon, where air quality warnings have spiked over the past decade.
The short version
- Josephine County in Oregon and Trinity County in California recorded the nation's highest rate of climate-linked wildfire smoke deaths between 2006 and 2020, according to a 2025 Nature study.
- Data from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality shows Grants Pass experienced 94 days of unhealthy air quality due to wildfires from 2016 to 2025, up from 16 days in the prior decade.
- Wildfire smoke contributed to an estimated 164,000 premature deaths nationwide between 2006 and 2020, with annual smoke-related fatalities projected to reach 70,000 by 2050.
Key facts
- Josephine County, Oregon, and Trinity County, California, registered an estimated 17 premature deaths per 100,000 residents linked to wildfire smoke between 2006 and 2020.[The Guardian]
- Wildfire smoke caused an estimated 164,000 premature deaths across the United States from 2006 to 2020, averaging nearly 11,000 per year.[The Guardian]
- Grants Pass logged 94 days with air quality classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse due to wildfire smoke between 2016 and 2025, compared with 16 such days between 2006 and 2015.[The Guardian]
- The Trump administration lifted a ban on U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighters wearing masks on fire assignments last year.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Attributing any individual death directly to wildfire smoke remains difficult, as smoke typically compounds existing health conditions rather than acting as a sole cause of death.[The Guardian]