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Los Angeles County residents returning to communities devastated by recent wildfires should take safety precautions including protective apparel, authorities warned this week.
Gloves, eye goggles and masks were in order when entering properties in fire zones, according to county officials. Many of the properties “have been damaged beyond belief,” Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said at a media briefing Thursday. “They are full of sediment, debris, silt and hazardous materials.”
District 5 Supervisor and Board Chair Kathryn Barger said officials want to provide tools to returning residents in debris-cleaning kits that will be made available.
LA County Public Health Officer Muntu Davis said homes in the fire area could have lingering dangers such as asbestos and heavy metals.
“Fire debris, ash, and dirt from residential and structural fires may contain asbestos, heavy metals, and other hazardous substances,” according to Davis’ order. “Exposure to these toxic substances can occur through the inhalation of ash and fire dust particles, contact with skin, or contamination of drinking water supplies. Improper handling or disposal of fire debris can increase these risks, spreading hazardous substances throughout the community and endangering workers, residents, and the environment.”
Davis said people returning to fire areas should wear an N-95 mask, gloves and closed-toed shoes.
Sheriff’s department officials advised avoidance of any direct contact with ash, which could contain toxic substances. People who have respiratory conditions should try to limit exposure to ash and wear N-95 masks.
Authorities also suggested that residents monitor utilities because electricity, water and natural gas services may not yet be restored in many locations. Residents should not attempt to restore utility service on their own and should immediately report damage to utility equipment or an odor of natural gas.
Sheriff’s officials also said residents should photograph and document damage to their properties and houses before starting cleanup tasks.
Most evacuation orders in the fire areas are still in effect, but recently locals who live in areas that were less severely damaged have been allowed to return. Officials said it could be more than a week before many other residents are allowed to return to their communities because of ongoing search-and-rescue operations and the start of removing hazardous materials from burned areas.
Tara Fitzgerald, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s incident commander for the fires, said agency personnel are doing assessments in the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire burn areas.
“We’re working closely with state and local agencies to conduct this work,” Fitzgerald said Thursday. “The initial phase of household hazardous materials includes removal of the most immediate risk to public health and workers returning to work within the burn footprints — that includes things like pesticides, batteries, including the risk of damaged lithium ion batteries, fuel and other things that would normally go to the household hazardous waste management landfill.”
Pestrella said that while the EPA is removing toxic items a large amount of debris also has to be removed from the the fire zone.
“We are working on that process of debris removal in conjunction with the city of Los Angeles,” the county Public Works director said. “We are also working with utilities to restore power, water and sewer to locations, all of which have been damaged to the point that they cannot be delivered safely currently in most of the areas.”
Pestrella said efforts were underway to prepare for the danger of flooding and debris flows in burned areas during future rainstorms.
“We are also assessing the impact to the flood control system that serves the entire region, including both … burn areas,” he said. “Both areas suffered watershed damage, burned to such significance that we expect massive debris-laden flows when it rains. Our system of flood control is designed to handle that debris, along with the streets. However, in an event that we have major rain, we do expect all of the street areas in all of the communities will be impacted by debris flows that could be hazardous to human health.
“We are developing plans for both areas to capture and hold this debris back as much as we can during a rain event,” Pestrella continued. “We do expect the window to open for rain in the later part of this month, so we are already pre-deploying labor forces into the area to make sure that the flood control system is ready, as well as our street system is ready, as much as possible.”
On Friday, LA County Public Health issued an ocean water warning from Surfrider Beach in Malibu to Dockweiler State Beach at World Way in Playa Del Rey because of possibly toxic runoff resulting from the fires.
Davis declared a public health emergency in LA County on Jan. 10 as a result of the fires.
The Eaton Fire in Pasadena and Altadena has burned more than 14,000 acres and was 73% contained Saturday, according to Cal Fire. The fire in Pacific Palisades has scorched nearly 28,000 acres and was 43% contained.
Twenty-seven people have died as a result of both wildfires, which have destroyed and damaged thousands of structures.
