Wildfires are becoming an increasingly dangerous threat to homes, health, and economic stability across the nation. This can be heightened for Hispanic communities in high-risk states like Texas, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. Each of these states are considered to have the highest risk areas for wildfires, and also have the largest Hispanic populations of the nation.
Recognizing these challenges, the National Hispanic Energy Council (NHEC) has joined the newly formed coalition, Partners in Wildfire Prevention. This coalition brings together diverse organizations to advocate for a comprehensive national strategy focused on wildfire prevention and preparedness.
Hispanic Families Face Significantly Higher Burdens
Wildfires do not impact everyone equally. According to a January 2025 data brief from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute:
- Over 74,000 Hispanics in Los Angeles County along were displaced or at risk of displacement due to the L.A. wildfires this year, making up 1 in 4 of those impacted.
- This comes with Hispanic families and neighborhoods facing preexisting heath disparities including:
- Hispanic neighborhoods in L.A. face higher levels of air pollution and are exposed to twice the level of diesel particulate as predominantly white neighborhoods.
- These neighborhoods see asthma-related ER visits at nearly 3 times the rate of predominantly white neighborhoods.
- Hispanic neighborhoods also have nearly 3 times the share of outdoor workers, increasing their risk of wildfire smoke exposure.
- 14% of Hispanic neighborhood residents lack health insurance, compared to just 3% in predominantly white areas, making it harder to recover from wildfire-related health impacts.
These figures reveal the painful reality for Hispanic communities who face the threat of wildfires and the fewer resources to prepare, respond, and rebuild.
Wildfires Also Drive Up Energy Costs
In our previous blog post, “The Unseen Cost; Why Hispanic Communities Pay More for Energy,” NHEC highlighted the already higher energy burden faced by Hispanic families. Wildfires only make this problem worse in two major ways:
- They disrupt power generation and transmission: Utilities often preemptively shut off electricity to avoid power lines from sparking wildfires, leading to regional blackouts and energy supply shortages.
- They drive up energy prices: Wildfire damages and infrastructure upgrades lead to higher utility bills to mitigate for the cost. This places an extra burden on households who already face a higher energy cost.
NHEC Joins the Fight for Prevention
The Partners in Wildfire Prevention coalition is promoting:
- Keeping safety and prevention as top priorities
- Promoting investments in modeling, technology, and infrastructure to support prevention and protection strategies
- Ensuring prompt and equitable access to claims compensation
- Implementing a balanced liability framework
NHEC is proud to bring Hispanic energy consumers and small business owners into this conversation, protecting those disproportionately impacted by wildfires.
