The San Diego County wildfires: perspectives of healthcare providers [corrected].

The wildfires of October 2003 burned a total of 10% of the county of San Diego, California. Poor air quality contributed to an increased number of patients seeking emergency services, including healthcare providers affected by smoke and ash in hospital ventilation systems. Two large hospitals with special patient populations were threatened by rapidly approaching fires and had to plan for total evacuations in a very short time frame. A number of medical professionals were forced to prioritize responding to the hospital's call for increased staff during the disaster and the need to evacuate their own homes.