EPA reaches 99% completion of fire zone hazardous materials removal

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached 99% completion of its work to remove household hazardous materials from properties destroyed or heavily damaged by the Eaton and Palisades fires, in line with a 30-day timeline requested by local officials, the governor's office announced Wednesday.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of hundreds of federal and state crews, the first phase of debris cleanup is coming to a close and we can turn our focus fully to structural debris removal," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. Under the leadership of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, crews cleaned hazardous waste from thousands of properties in less than 30 days, a record pace never seen before at this scale."

According to Newsom's office, the EPA has completed cleanups of 9,047 properties in the two fire zones as part of the Phase 1 debris-removal operations. That phase involves the removal of potentially hazardous household materials from each property.

Another 4,452 properties that were determined by the EPA to still be hazardous have been deferred" to Phase 2 of the debris-removal process, in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removes all other materials from the properties.

The EPA still has about 100 harder-to-access" properties remaining to clear, according to Newsom's office. That work is expected to be completed this week.

Once the EPA completes its Phase 1 clearance on individual properties, they can move to Phase 2 of the debris-removal program. Phase 1 was initially anticipated to last for several months, but local and state authorities pushed the EPA to expedite its work and complete the process in 30 days, moving property owners closer to rebuilding.