EPA Undertakes in LA the Largest Wildfire Hazardous Material Cleanup in Agency History

Contractors for the Environmental Protection Agency remove household hazardous waste as they search through homes damaged and destroyed by the Eaton Fire in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles County, Calif., on Jan. 30, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched its most extensive wildfire hazardous waste removal operation to date, responding to the catastrophic wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles County, the agency said on Feb. 3.

The agency noted in a statement that it had already conducted reconnaissance at 6,022 properties, including 3,636 affected by the Eaton Fire and 2,386 by the Palisades Fire.

“EPA is undertaking the largest wildfire cleanup in the history of the agency,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. “We’re not going to wait days or weeks or months to ramp up.

“We have over a thousand personnel on the ground to aid Californians, and our local, state, and federal partners, in Los Angeles’s recovery. The Trump administration is tackling this head on in a way that EPA couldn’t possibly be prouder to be a part of.”

To date, the EPA has removed 80 electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems, which pose significant hazards to both the public and the environment.

The agency said it now has 1,050 response personnel in the field—up from 478 last week—with an additional 280 mobilizing on Jan. 3. Sixty teams are being assembled to clear hazardous materials from more than 13,000 residential and 250 commercial properties.

The EPA’s hazardous material removal efforts are classified as Phase 1 of the federal cleanup response. This includes the removal of dangerous household products such as paints, solvents, automotive oils, pesticides, and batteries, including lithium-ion varieties.

Crews will also handle visible asbestos and inspect propane and other pressurized gas cylinders. This stage is essential for ensuring public and worker safety before Phase 2, the large-scale debris removal conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency said.

The agency has been tasked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with identifying and safely disposing of lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries—commonly found in electric vehicles, home energy storage systems, and consumer electronics—are highly volatile. Even if they appear intact, these batteries can spontaneously reignite, explode, and release toxic gases and particulates, according to EPA guidance.

Residents returning to fire-affected areas are urged to exercise extreme caution and report any suspected lithium-ion battery hazards to the EPA hotline at 1-833-798-7372. The agency warns against touching, moving, or attempting to charge fire-damaged batteries, which will be assessed by hazardous material professionals.

In coordination with federal, state, and local stakeholders, the EPA has also established a working group to expedite cleanup operations. At the request of water utilities, the agency is providing technical assistance to help restore water systems affected by the disaster.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the EPA to complete its hazardous materials mission in Los Angeles as soon as practical. Additionally, the agency is working alongside the U.S. military and the Department of Homeland Security to accelerate the removal of contaminated and general debris from affected areas.

To streamline operations, the EPA has secured temporary staging areas for hazardous waste materials to be processed for safe transport and disposal.

However, some local officials in Southern California are opposing one of the sites, located at Lario Park near the Eaton Fire zone. Leaders from several nearby cities have expressed concerns that they were not notified in advance. They argue that the site could pose risks to their communities.

In response, EPA officials said the location was selected based on urgent public health needs. They cited their track record in handling such sites safely during disaster recovery efforts, such as in Maui, Hawaii, in 2023.

EPA personnel will only remove hazardous materials by hand and will not handle non-hazardous debris, the agency added.

If property owners are present when EPA crews arrive, work will be postponed and rescheduled for a later date. In cases in which objects of value are found during cleanup, local law enforcement will be contacted to ensure safekeeping.

Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.