Study Finds House Fires Emit Toxic Air Compounds

Researchers explore how different building materials impact fire emissions

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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New research led by the University of Colorado Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) shows that common synthetic materials used in homes, like plastics and insulation, can release harmful compounds into the air when they burn. However, the study also found that while house fires exhibit higher levels of some potentially harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene and styrene, other VOC emissions did not stand out as clearly from structural wood and forest fires.

Why it matters

Urban fires are becoming more prevalent, with notable examples like the Marshall Fire, the Lahaina Fires, and the LA Fires. This research aims to better understand how these types of fires change air quality exposures from an environmental and public health perspective.

The details

The study involved a series of laboratory experiments where researchers burned 18 different building materials in a fume hood to capture emissions. They found elevated levels of VOCs, including benzene and styrene, when synthetic materials like plastics or insulation were burned. However, when considering emissions from a whole-house fire, the researchers found that while the house fire exhibited higher levels of some potentially harmful VOCs, other VOC emissions did not stand out as clearly from structural wood and forest fires, since synthetic materials only make up a small fraction of a home's composition.

  • The research was published in February 2026 in the journal ACS Environmental Science & Technology.

The players

William Dresser

A CIRES research scientist and lead author of the paper.

Joost de Gouw

A CIRES Fellow who partnered with Dresser on the research.

Colorado State University

The university that led a series of laboratory experiments, burning 18 different building materials to capture emissions.

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)

The University of Colorado Boulder institute that led the research.

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What they’re saying

“Urban fires are becoming more prevalent. We've seen some pretty notable examples, such as the Marshall Fire, the Lahaina Fires, and the LA Fires, so there are emerging questions from an air quality standpoint of how these types of fires change exposures.”

— William Dresser, CIRES research scientist

“Our research shows clearly that some toxic compounds are higher when a home burns, relative to a wildfire. Future work is focused on the compounds that end up in ash or can be leached from ash into waterways.”

— Joost de Gouw, CIRES Fellow

What’s next

Future research will focus on exploring the compounds that end up in ash or can be leached from ash into waterways as a result of house fires.

The takeaway

This study highlights the complexity of fire emission research and the need to better understand the impacts of urban fires on air quality and public health, especially as these types of fires become more prevalent.