The Evacuation. When fire swept through Pacific Palisades many within found they could not leave.
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This week, federal EPA officials are supervising specialized crews as they begin sweeping residential communities for the most dangerous materials still sitting in the debris from the fires — like firearm ammunition, propane tanks, pesticides, paint thinner and car batteries.
Environmental regulators and public health officials have warned survivors that fire-damaged neighborhoods are likely brimming with toxic chemicals and harmful substances, such as brain-damaging lead and lung-scarring asbestos fibers.
However, fire officials and law enforcement decided to reopen large swaths of the evacuation zones several days before disaster personnel were able to begin the sweep.The EPA’s hazardous waste cleanup was initially projected to last three months. But earlier this week, President Trump signed a federal directive to shorten the cleanup time to 30 days.
“We know that it’s all combusted, and it’s all in the air — metals, plastics. I think it’s unbelievable that people are being told just to go ahead and go back in,” said Col. Eric Swenson of the Army Corps of Engineers. “There’s a lack of coordinated, comprehensive expert response.”
Environmental regulators and public health officials have warned survivors that fire-damaged neighborhoods are likely brimming with toxic chemicals and harmful substances, such as brain-damaging lead and lung-scarring asbestos fibers.
However, fire officials and law enforcement decided to reopen large swaths of the evacuation zones several days before disaster personnel were able to begin the sweep.The EPA’s hazardous waste cleanup was initially projected to last three months. But earlier this week, President Trump signed a federal directive to shorten the cleanup time to 30 days.
“We know that it’s all combusted, and it’s all in the air — metals, plastics. I think it’s unbelievable that people are being told just to go ahead and go back in,” said Col. Eric Swenson of the Army Corps of Engineers. “There’s a lack of coordinated, comprehensive expert response.”