Details on the wildfires

The fires began around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 7 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. So far, the Palisades fire has burned through more than 17,234 acres, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. As for the other two fires, the Eaton fire has consumed more than 10,000 acres, and the Hurst fire has affected 855 acres.

Another three fires — the Woodley fire, Sunswept fire, and Lidia fire — have been contained, but have also affected hundreds of acres of land.

So far, more than 2,000 buildings have been destroyed, and five deaths have been reported as a result of the wildfires.

Currently, a smoke advisory is in effect for 17 million people in the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Environmental Protection Agency has declared hazardous conditions throughout Los Angeles.

Some health clinics temporarily close

The fires have led a number of health clinics around the county to close. Kaiser Permanente closed nine of its outpatient clinics and UCLA Health announced it was closing at least a dozen outpatient clinics, including its Alhambra Cancer Care.

"UCLA Health asks that visits to our medical center emergency departments be reserved for urgent and life-threatening medical conditions," the health system wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital reported they have been unaffected by the fires and are proceeding with inpatient surgeries and procedures as scheduled. Similarly, Adventist Health confirmed its hospitals are operational and no patient evacuations have occurred; however, the hospital's Glendale campus near the Eaton fire did temporarily close a clinic in the area.

The dangers of wildfire smoke

Scientists track air quality using the air quality index (AQI), which incorporates a variety of pollution sources like ozone and fine particulates. The higher the AQI number, the more health-damaging pollution is in the air.

On a normal day in Los Angeles, the AQI could be around 50 or 60. But near the wildfires, it hit almost 400 and even above 500, "which is absolutely huge," according to Tarik Benmarhnia, a climate and health scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

Wildfire smoke can be very dangerous, largely because of very small particulates in the air that are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, commonly referred to as PM 2.5s.

According to May Lin Wilgus, a doctor and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, breathing wildfire smoke is like smoking a lot of cigarettes. On a day when AQI levels hit 100 to 200, "the exposure to the fine particulate matter, the air pollution, is similar to smoking a quarter to half a pack a day," Wilgus said.

Wildfire smoke is especially dangerous for people with conditions like asthma or COPD and has also been associated with a higher risk of cardiac arrest and stroke.

"Everyone should have air filters in their homes," he said, adding that in addition to having a HEPA filter, filters should have a "legitimate carbon filter as well to help neutralize and catch some of these other chemicals that can be hurting us."

Anyone going outside should wear an N-95 or N-100 mask. El-Hasan noted that surgical masks are inadequate because they allow in too much unfiltered air around the sides, which is why El-Hasan said he prefers vented N-95s since they're easier to breathe in for people working outside.

In addition, if you go outside, make sure that once you're back home you shower and wash your clothes, according to Barbara Mann, a pulmonologist at Mount Sinai-National Jewish Respiratory Institute.

El-Hasan also urged that those with medical conditions be vigilant with their medication and ensure their prescriptions are filled and not expired.

"If you have shortness of breath, if you have chest pain, if you have difficulty breathing in general, your heart's pounding like crazy, you feel dizzy, come in and see the doctor and don't wait till the last minute," he said.