As millions of people watched videos of fires and smoke filling the skies on the edge of Los Angeles this past January, Fresno State anthropology associate professor and forensic investigator Dr. Chelsey Juarez was amazed at how different the view could be once she got there.

From her tent at a Palisades Fire emergency response base, the view was clear as powerful Santa Ana winds, some of which gusted over 60 to 100 mph, were often pushing the fire away. That meant she could barely smell smoke or see the glow of the fast-moving fire hidden in other parts of the coastal range. 

However, when she went on call each day at 6 a.m., that view could quickly change as she answered calls from search teams. They were looking for human remains in once-picturesque areas that were now flattened and blackened. Several times per day, searchers would ask her to come and inspect locations where cadaver dogs had detected specific scents, or to homes of people who had been reported missing.

To get to some of these places, she sometimes had to use the off-road abilities of her four-wheel drive vehicle. Roads up into the hilly, narrow canyons were sometimes packed with abandoned cars when residents, who were caught in traffic jams, were forced to flee on foot when they saw the flames. Over the course of nearly 3 1/2 weeks, the fire ultimately burned 16,000 structures covering 23,448 acres and killed 12 people.

In her two weeks working at the fire, she shared her forensic expertise constantly with new search and rescue volunteer teams, who arrived each day from other counties, states and countries.

Showing samples of burned and charred human tissue specimens, she gave them a 45-minute, “Just-in-Time” workshop on the basics of identifying human remains while sifting through the remains of sheetrock, metal, debris or vehicles.

“Many of the volunteer searchers had never seen human remains in the field, especially in charred or burned condition,” Juarez said, “so I was able to bring specimens from our campus lab and give them a quick overview of what to look for, which isn’t easy when everything is black and covered in ash.” 

As one of approximately seven forensic anthropologists throughout the state with expertise in fire crime scene investigations, Juarez and other disaster response professionals saw the need for training others to be better prepared to assist in future disasters. Together, they are planning a Central California Forensic Fire Death Investigation Academy next spring in Fresno, which began accepting applications in October.

The five-day event from April 20 to 24, 2026, will offer intensive education and research opportunities focused on fatal fire scenes and an emphasis on locations that connect wildland and urban areas. These types of large fires are becoming more common in California, and have recently struck scenic and populated areas near Los Angeles, Napa Valley, Paradise, Santa Rosa, San Jose and Ventura during the past decade. 

Forensic scientists and police, fire, coroner and related professions, such as medical doctors, death investigators and district attorney staff, can apply for the event, as well as university students on similar career paths.

Sessions will focus on wildfire science and fire progression, search and recovery techniques,  identification and recovery of human remains, processing of data from disaster scene investigations, professional best practices and incident command system coordination.

The academy is a collaboration between Fresno State, Fresno City College and the Fresno Fire Department, and will consist of two days of lectures and three days of hands-on training at the Fresno City College First Responders Campus (3300 E. North Ave.).

“We wanted the sessions to be a balanced mix of cutting-edge training and research to be mutually beneficial to professions that have different backgrounds,” Juarez said. “The first responders will get hands-on training and learn why research is important, our methods, and the type of data we’re trying to gather. Researchers can also get basic experience on how to properly navigate these dangerous types of environments.”

Some of the demonstration structures that will be incinerated at the new, 40-acre Fresno City College training site will be built by Fresno State students from the Department of Construction Management under the guidance of engineering faculty Arezoo Shrazi, Sagata Bhawan, and Tolulope Sanni as part of their course curriculum. These structures will allow construction management faculty to test fireproof building materials and gather thermal alteration data to create better fire-resistant buildings.  

Bones from donated human remains used in the academy will remain in the custody of the Fresno State forensic anthropology lab and will create the nation’s first, research-focused, consented-skeletal collection of thermally-altered human remains.  

This interdisciplinary emphasis on education, research and professional outreach is a central motivator for Juarez. The seventh-year faculty member has worked frequently with area, state and federal organizations tied to law enforcement and emergency response. She also serves as director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance-funded Central California Missing and Unidentified Deceased Persons Cold Case Initiative. 

Other instructors for the April academy include noted forensic anthropologists Dr. Alison Galloway and Dr. Elayne Pope; Fresno Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Jay Tracy; Orange County Fire Captain and Investigator Scott Kuhlman; Tulare Fire Marshal Ryan Leonardo; and Ventura County Fire Department Investigator Andrea Stanley.

The cost is $1,400, and space is limited to 50 spots for professional attendees, and up to 10 spots for enrolled university students interested in related career fields.

Since hands-on training opportunities with experts like this are unique, she expects the class to fill up. She’s already received applications from other states and even France.

“We’re fortunate to have access to people with great expertise and a new facility that can host both classes and fire crime scene demonstrations,” Juarez said. “Seeing what happened near Los Angeles and other places around California emphasizes the need for more trained responders, and here in the Central Valley, with our proximity to the national forests.”

Juarez will be sharing information about the academy with a network of professionals she has collaborated with at past wildfires across the state. She also worked on site at the Eaton Fire near Altadena for a day in January, as well as the Borel Fire near Lake Isabella in Kern County in July 2024.

Her first experience at a major California fire disaster came five years ago at the nearby Creek Fire, which destroyed nearly half of the town of Big Creek and threatened Shaver Lake in fall 2020. The event, which started on Labor Day weekend, destroyed 379,895 acres in the mountains straddling Fresno and Madera Counties, and took nearly four months to fully contain. 

She traveled with teams through the smoke-filled forest service roads looking for signs of lost life in abandoned cars and structures and remnants of burned campsites.  

Her first training for wildfire situations began five years prior in 2015, some of which had been conducted with Pope and the San Luis Obispo Fire Investigation Strike Team.

“Working in fire scenes all day is hard, both physically, when you’re on your knees and potentially touching parts of their bodies, moving dirt and debris and avoiding things that might still be hot or burning underneath,” Juarez said. “It’s equally punishing emotionally when you see the effects on others’ lives and their vulnerability. It’s something I wish I didn’t have to see again, but, at the same time, your work is being validated and utilized by other trained professionals.” 

Another benefit for Juarez is seeing the shared mission from strangers and volunteers with the same commitment. 

“I was really proud of our Central Valley teams that showed up to help at the Palisades and Eaton fires,” Juarez said. “There were so many Fresno and Clovis Fire trucks at the forward base, and we were heavily represented.”

That commitment was shared by thousands of others who lent their support on short notice.

“I also remember working with a team of 200 trained search volunteers from Mexico who showed up at the Palisades Fire,” Juarez added. “They were ready to go and already had all the proper equipment and cadaver dogs. I was able to work with them in Spanish, and saw how invested and committed they were to helping others. It was a blessing to have them there, and the teams from other states and even Canada. We felt a special camaraderie.”  

For more information on the academy, contact Dr. Chelsey Juarez at chelseyjuarez@mail.fresnostate.edu