LOS ANGELES (AP) — Residents anxious to see what had become of their properties after the Palisades Fire ignited on Jan. 7 waited in their cars for hours Tuesday to return to their neighborhoods after officials lifted the last remaining evacuation orders.
A line of vehicles snaked along the Pacific Coast Highway and motorists inched into a beachside parking lot in Santa Monica, where they had to show ID to receive a permit that allows them to drive into the burn zone and sift through what’s left of their charred homes. They have to be out of the area by nightfall because a curfew remains in effect.
Officials had been letting residents of select neighborhoods return starting last week, but only with a police escort. On Monday afternoon, the city lifted all remaining evacuation orders and dropped the escort requirement.
The sun was out after the first significant storm of the season brought rain that helped fire crews but loosened scorched hillsides and caused ash and mud to flow across streets. No major problems were reported. Firefighters were close to full containment of the Palisades Fire and the nearby Eaton Fire, which also ignited Jan. 7 during powerful Santa Ana winds.
Returning residents were urged to wear protective gear. Health officials have warned that neighborhoods are filled with toxic ash that’s a mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items. It contains pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead.
Los Angeles city and county officials last week expedited cleanup efforts and other measures aimed at mitigating the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants, and a White House statement said President Donald Trump has directed federal officials to help local authorities.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated federally-owned parkland east of Los Angeles as a temporary storage site for hazardous materials left by the fires.
However, local elected officials are opposed to the choice of the site, expressing concerns that Lario Park in the San Gabriel Valley could become a permanent toxic dumping ground.
“While I recognize the importance of addressing the aftermath of the fire and ensuring proper disposal of hazardous waste, this federal project has not included consultation or consideration of the local communities that will be directly affected,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement Monday.
Solis and others worry that residents could be at risk if dangerous materials contaminate the air or seep into the groundwater used by hundreds of thousands of people.
The EPA said it would conduct regular air monitoring, take frequent soil samples, bring in water trucks to control dust and transport waste out of the area on a daily basis. The materials will be brought to the site through surface streets, not freeways, so vehicles carrying them can travel at a slower, and safer speed, the EPA’s Celese McCoy told the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
“We are very experienced in doing this,” McCoy said during Tuesday’s regular supervisors meeting. “This is what we do. We protect the environment. We protect public health.”
McCoy could not immediately say how long the Lario site would be used, but she expected it would be less than six months. She said the agency is also seeking additional staging areas.
The Palisades Fire, the largest of the region’s blazes, had reached 95% containment on Tuesday after destroying more than 6,800 structures and killing at least 12 people. The Eaton Fire, which broke out near Altadena and has killed at least 17 people, was 99% contained.
The Hughes Fire, which ignited north of Los Angeles last week and caused evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000 people, was nearly contained.
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Associated Press journalists Jae Hong in Santa Monica, California, and Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, contributed to this report.
