Homes continue to test positive for asbestos and lead after cleanup work in the Eaton Fire burn area, prompting calls for more robust remediation, a group of area residents announced Friday.
A survey of about 50 homes by Eaton Fire Residents United, a group of Altadena residents affected by January’s blaze, found 50% received access to asbestos testing and 90% had lead testing. About 36% of the homes tested positive for asbestos after the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers removed extensive amounts of contaminated soil and fire debris. Forty-five of the homes, about 96%, tested positive for lead post-remediation.
The laboratory analysis indicates thousands of homes in Altadena are unsafe for residents to return to, according to residents’ findings.
“We’re here today, 10 months to the day since the Eaton Fire, on behalf of thousands of residents whose homes are still standing,” said Jane Lawton Potelle, founder of Eaton Fire Residents United. “We deserve not just to return to our homes, but to be safe in our homes. And right now, our homes are not safe. They’re full of dangerous poisonous contaminants left over from the fire.”
Potelle called for “clearance before occupancy.”
The organization urged Gov. Gavin Newsom, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and elected officials representing Altadena to require “comprehensive clearance status” for homes that survived the blaze before residents return.
Nicole Maccalla, an 11-year Altadena resident and USC faculty member, lives in a home that suffered structural and smoke damage.
“We’ve analyzed a sample of 50 homes that were tested after remediation. These are homes that have supposedly been cleaned up, but the data shows that the majority of homes are not safe to return to,” said Maccalla, who is the director of data science and educational outreach for Eaton Fire Residents United.
Six out of 10 remediated homes remain uninhabitable because of lead, asbestos or both, Maccalla added.
Powell noted only one in four homes was tested for ash, soot and char contamination post-remediation of those homes.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen linked to lung cancer, and lead also causes cancer and a range of health and developmental problems.
“We know most standing homes are not being comprehensively tested for contaminants that can cause severe illness or death,” Maccalla said. “This has to change. It is essential that everyone understand that achieving clearance status may require more than one round of remediation.”
Eaton Fire Residents United members and local homeowners shared their experiences of having claims delayed or denied by insurers. They called for insurance companies to pay for affected homeowners’ temporary housing expenses until their homes have successfully undergone comprehensive testing.
State Farm, among the largest insurance companies operating in California, has maintained it is helping fire recovery.
“Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people and communities affected by these fires,” according to a company statement. “Our claims force is the largest in the industry and we are bringing the full scale and force of our catastrophe response teams to help customers recover.”
State Farm has received more than 13,500 claims as of Thursday, and has paid almost $5 billion to state customers, according to the company.
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, said the residents’ soil analysis “deeply alarmed” her.
“It is unacceptable that, as many survivors of the Eaton Fire see their compensation for temporary housing deplete, many of our neighbors are being forced to decide between a roof over their heads or risking exposure to deadly toxins,” Chu said in a statement.
She urged Newsom, Lara and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to immediately adopt a “Clearance Before Occupancy” standard so that fire survivors can feel safe from exposure to toxic substances before returning to their homes.
She said Lara should hold insurance companies accountable and make sure they cover testing to allow for multiple rounds of remediation work until homes receive clearance.
She also recommended that Newsom declare an “Ash Zone” to formally recognize homes located outside of a fire’s direct burn area but affected by ash and smoke.
“This designation would protect the health and wellbeing of our community members, as well as make it easier for impacted households to demonstrate the impact they’ve experienced following a fire and receive the compensation and assistance needed,” Chu said.
The Eaton Fire killed 19 people, destroyed more than 10,000 structures and charred over 14,000 acres in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre.
