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Firefighters sift debris at a property destroyed in the Eaton Fire. | Photo courtesy of Cal Fire_Official/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued wildfire-debris removal Wednesday, including efforts at five Pasadena school campuses destroyed or damaged in the Eaton Fire.
Officials announced the start of “Phase 2” debris removal Tuesday, with work commencing at Loma Alta Elementary School in Altadena and Edison Elementary in Pasadena. All five campuses are in the Pasadena Unified School District.
Phase 2 involves clearing fire-damaged properties of hazardous ash and the bulk of physical debris.
Army Corps of Engineers Col. Eric Swenson said at a news briefing Wednesday that crews were working at five PUSD campuses but did not name the other schools. Swenson said debris clearance had not begun on residential properties because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is still doing “Phase 1” removal of household hazardous wastes from fire-ravaged properties.
EPA officials said Wednesday more than 1,000 people were removing hazardous waste, with 5% of affected properties cleared thus far. Officials have said that individual properties could shift to the Phase 2 stage, even as Phase 1 cleanup continued in the burn Palisades and Eaton burn areas.
Phase 2 completion will take about a year to complete, Swenson said last week.
“Beginning Phase 2 means we’re making tangible progress toward recovery,” Swenson said in a statement Tuesday. “Our teams are working with urgency and care to remove hazardous debris while ensuring the safety of the community, workers and the environment.”
PUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a statement, “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. This debris removal effort will allow us to begin the recovery process with confidence, and we are grateful for the support from (the Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency) and our local partners.”
According to the Corps of Engineers, in the coming weeks Phase 2 work will expand to include residential properties destroyed by the LA County wildfires.
County officials on Wednesday again urged fire-impacted residents to complete “Right of Entry” forms to opt in or out of the Corps of Engineers’ free Phase 2 debris-clearing program. The deadline to submit the forms is March 31. They are are available at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal or at FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers.
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Wednesday approximately 50% impacted residents in the Eaton and Palisades burn areas had submitted forms to opt into the clearance program. Residents may decline the program and hire private contractors to do the debris clearance, however, the EPA must first complete its hazardous waste removal, which is expected to take at least a month.
Status updates on the EPA’s work is at epa.gov/ca/2025-california-wildfires.
The cleanup efforts have have drawn concerns from some neighboring cities in the San Gabriel foothills about the EPA’s chosen sites for collecting and processing hazardous waste.
A nightly curfew for the burn areas remains in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Checkpoints restricting access to the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades remain in place. Returning residents and authorized contractors are being given access to the Palisades Fire burn area with access passes, which are being distributed by law enforcement at the Disaster Recovery Center in West Los Angeles, 10850 Pico Blvd., and at the West Los Angeles Civic Center, 1645 Corinth Ave. Passes can be obtained daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Red Cross and county health officials have been distributing personal protective gear to residents going to the burn area, as authorities urge people to wear protection while sifting through the possibly toxic debris.
Pacific Coast Highway was reopened between Santa Monica and Malibu on Monday, but a stretch of the roadway was closed again Monday because of potential debris flows or landslides resulting from two rainstorms in the region. PCH will remain closed until at least Friday between Chautauqua Boulevard and Carbon Beach Terrace.
The Pacific Palisades and the Eaton fires in Altadena and Pasadena erupted on Jan. 7 amid fierce Santa Ana winds and are now fully contained, according to Cal Fire.
The 14,021-acre Eaton Fire caused at least 17 deaths, destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073.
At least 12 people died in the Palisades Fire, which scorched 23,448 acres, destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 1,017.
Another blaze in the region that started later in January — the Hughes Fire near Castaic — charred 10,425 acres and was also fully contained.
The cause of the Eaton and Palisades fires remains under investigation.
Several lawsuits blame Southern California Edison power lines for igniting the Eaton Fire. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that Palisades Fire investigators believe a human element contributed to the fire, including the theory that the blaze began from a flare-up of a New Year’s Day fire believed to have been extinguished.
LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said officials are creating guidelines for property owners who would like to build temporary “accessory dwelling units” on fire-damaged lots, allowing residents to live on-site while rebuilding and recovery efforts are underway.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W. Pico Blvd., and at 540 W. Woodbury Road in Altadena to assist homeowners aid applications. The centers operate daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
FEMA centers for victims of the Hurst, Sunset and Hughes fires are at the Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center, 5056 Van Nuys Blvd., Building B, open 9:30 a.m to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; and the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima, operating 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-6 p.m. Saturdays.
Fire victims have until March 10 to apply for FEMA financial assistance. According to LA County, FEMA has approved over $54 million in housing and other forms of assistance for 24,575 households. Over 117,200 people have registered for FEMA aid.
When the damage is fully assessed, the fires are expected to be the most expensive natural disaster in United States history. The UCLA Anderson Forecast on Tuesday estimated that the Eaton and Palisades fires caused property damage and capital losses between $95 billion and $164 billion, with insured losses totaling $75 billion. AccuWeather last month put the damage and economic losses at between $250 billion and $275 billion.
