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Soil samples were collected in at different depths from the conflagration area in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Region, China, to investigate the distribution characteristics and ecological and human health risks of heavy metals after a wildfire. The samples collected comprise wildfire ash (WA) above the soil surface, ash soil (AS) 0–5 cm, and plain soil (PS) 5–15 cm below the soil surface. Additionally, reference soil (RS) was collected from a nearby unburned area at the same latitude as the conflagration area. The results showed that the concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in the WA and AS were significantly higher than in reference soil (RS) (p < 0.05). Concentrations of Pb in the PS were 2.52 times higher than that in RS (17.9 mg kg⁻¹) (p < 0.05). The AS and WA had the highest Index of potential ecological risks (RI > 600). In addition, The Cd in AS and WA contributed the most to the …