As the third week since the Eaton fire broke out came to an end on Friday, the race against the clock to remove its potentially hazardous rubble ticked by, with continued pushback from residents near the collection site, about 15 miles east of Altadena.
The clock — set by President Donald Trump by executive order – requires the Environmental Protection Agency to expedite the removal of contaminated debris, and to get it done by a Feb. 25 deadline.
For homeowners in the burn areas — Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre — looking to clear their property and start a new journey of rebuilding, removing the potentially toxic materials is an essential first start. But for homeowners and cities near the EPA’s collection site at Lario Park, in an area between Duarte and Irwindale, the week ended with lingering questions and concerns about what they allege was the lack of notice for the site and why it’s moving so far away from the town.
It foreshadowed a coming week of continued venting over the hauling of the materials. Officials still hold out hope the government would reconsider moving the site to Altadena.
The Azusa City Council at its regular meeting on Monday, Feb.3, will provide a special update, and allow public comment on the use of the site as a staging area for sorting the materials.
And that is coming a week after the designation of the site spurred opposition from a cluster of cities in its area — among them Duarte, Irwindale, Arcadia, along with Azusa and Baldwin Park. Public officials from the city level to congressional, and residents, have lamented a range issues, from public health to concern about a reduction in property values.
“Our message is clear: we demand an immediate halt to this project and its relocation to a more appropriate site,” said Duarte City Councilmember Sam Kang, in a social media post on the heels of a meeting on Wednesday, where residents from several cities converged to voice anger at the decision.
By Friday, he was no less incredulous. In fact, he remained baffled as to why the materials, such as batteries, paint, cleaners and solvents, oils and pesticides are being trucked several miles to the east.
“It’s human nature,” he said Friday in an interview with this news organization. “If you don’t keep fighting for what’s right, then they are going to run all over you. It’s something we didn’t know about. We’re against it. It should have been taken care of at ground zero.”
Several others cities echoed similar concerns, noting a lack of transparency and consultation.
EPA officials this week apologized, pledging more vigilant communication amid a timeline that is tight because of the executive order.
On Tuesday, Celeste McCoy, EPA on-scene coordinator, appeared before the Los Angeles County supervisors during the board’s Tuesday meeting. She reported the agency was ordered to expedite opening the site by President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order.
McCoy said the site was selected because it was owned by a federal agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and thus made it easier to come to an agreement. Lario Park is also the closest option and has enough flat land to accommodate the operation, officials said.
The hazardous debris cleanup is the first phased of a two-pronged program that in the second phase that, after the hazardous material is gone, involves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers clearing the rest of the debris.
Officials also said Friday that the process is safe, noting that the agency has set up temporary staging areas like these for wildfires for at least 15 years.
“Safety is our top priority,” said EPA spokesperson Anna Drabek, noting that the the materials to be transported are heavily insulated in bags and bins, plastic mats and drums. She also noted that the agency sets up several air monitors and equipment that suppresses dust and emissions.
Earlier in the day Friday, Drabek was busy clear across L.A. County, at the coast. That’s where a group of protesters were voicing opposition against the EPA’s Palisades fire hazardous materials site. EPA contractors had begun preparing the land of the former Topanga Motel location, which is owned by the California State Parks system.
Over a dozen concerned protesters, mostly Topanga residents, gathered. Some were glad to hear the materials transported in on trucks will be sealed and the EPA is planning to be done with the site in 30 days.
Still, back in the San Gabriel Valley, Kang, the councilman, said there’s still time to reconsider.
“It’s not not logical,” he said. “I hope they would reconsider and find somewhere in Altadena. said. Find one day, clear out 5 acres of land and have it right there.”