When there was a fire at my mom's house, she had to have all clothing (and all other belongings) cleaned by a fire restoration company. Maybe a forest fire is different - or someone has a recipe for removing set in smoke from fabric.

This might help https://rainbowrestores.com/blog/how-to-get-smoke-damage-out-of-clothes

How are they doing with the laundry today? DH used to fight fire occasionally when he worked in the timber industry - it was all hands on deck and everyone pitched in. I used to use hot water, with my tank set hotter than may be found in a hotel machine. 20-Mule Team Borax as an additive and Tide powder. Extra rinse. Not a method I would usually suggest for a toddlers clothes and sensitive skin but you can't have them smelling of smoke either.

The bad times were where they lit back fires and used diesel to ignite. He would come home smelling of diesel which is a whole different method of odor removal and wouldn't apply to the familys clothing. Best of luck to them, I hope they are now in clean fresh clothing! It's little enough to ask after all they've been through.

Borax works for me on getting out odors from fabrics. I usually add it to the wash with the detergent, but since it's so strong I might do a long soak in it before laundering.

You can also add baking soda to laundry loads - or white vinegar. I think either will help break down those odor molecules

When we had a house fire in our upstairs primary bedroom, the firefighters told us all clothes that were close to the source of the fire should be disposed of due to carcinogenic chemicals from other items. The clothing on the main floor was ok. As mentioned above it was laundered and dry cleaned by a restoration company. I think washing things over and over will help. Sending healing thoughts and so much compassion to your friends. 💗

Unfortunately the fires in Los Angeles are urban fires and Ma is correct, there will be toxic chemicals in the fibers in addition to the smoke smell. I wonder if there are any local agencies that could provide guidance to questions such as yours. Many blessings to you and all those affected.

It may sound odd. It's cheap, fast, and probably no one out looking for it right now. But get a bag of plain grilling charcoal. No EZ start or anything like that. A box of garbage bags- bigger heavier ones are better, but you can double bag if you need to. A pillow sack or bed linen to use as a clothes sack.

Get your garbage bag set up. Dump a bunch of the charcoal in. Put your clothes sack in. Tie the garbage sack tight. The charcoal will help absorb the odors. If they can get a bag of cheap cedar or pine pet bedding, they can toss some of that in with the charcoal to help "sweeten" it. It can take a few days, but it should help. And helps keep the smell closed up in the small space of a hotel room.

After washing, they can do the same thing, but using baking soda instead of charcoal in the garbage bag. Still use a clothes bag to help keep the clothes dust free.

If a dollar store or other has cheap packs of white school chalk or any sidewalk chalk. Chalk is an odor and moisture absorber and can be put in the bags.

The garbage bag thing can be used with other stuff too, like shoes, bags, jackets, ect that aren't so washable. Or if they have paper goods like books, photos, important documents that have smoke odor that works too.

There are laundry soaps for removing odors, but they can get kind of pricy. Probably some of the easiest to find and less expensive would be scent killer soaps hunters use. It does not always fully strip smoke out of fabric, but it can work better than some regular laundry soaps and it has no scent. So you can tell how much you have washed out at least.

If there is some sootiness or ick touch to the fabric, you can try looking for a gallon of Fast Orange or Gojo hand cleaner- make sure it's the smooth stuff, not the gritty. Usually found at auto places or the auto section in many box stores. Use some of that in a sink or bathtub as a prewash to soak out stuff.

LAist has a helpful article about what to do and what not to do in the aftermath of a fire. It's mostly about dealing with the ash, but also contains links for more info:

"As tens of thousands of residents evacuated from a series of devastating firesin the L.A. region anxiously wait to return to their homes, officials say precautions should be taken before re-entering.

We've compiled a list of suggestions from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and CalFire on how to protect yourself from ash and particles left over from the fire...."

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/dos-donts-after-wildfire