Crews are clearing debris from Loma Alta and Edison elementary schools in Pasadena, kicking off Phase 2 of wildfire debris removal in Los Angeles County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of Phase 1 of the debris removal program, removing, collecting and storing household hazardous waste materials from burned homes and structures. That is still ongoing. The EPA’s designation of Lario Park in Azusa and near Duarte as a collection site angered officials and residents of both cities as well as Irwindale and Baldwin Park. Lario Park is leased from land owned by The Army Corps of Engineers.
Col. Eric Swenson, Los Angeles Wildfires Recovery Field Office Commander for the military engineering branch, said entering Phase 2 is proof of tangible progress toward post-fire recovery.
“Our teams are working with urgency and care to remove hazardous debris while ensuring the safety of the community, workers, and the environment,” Swenson said, adding that a crew of 75 began an assessment of both school sites on Feb. 1 with asbestos abatement completed first.
“We’re direct hauling asbestos to a landfill designated to receive that type of material then fire ash debris will be the next phase of the removal,” Swenson added.
Schools are considered public infrastructures. Nonetheless, Pasadena Unified and Los Angeles Unified, hit hard by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, had to request through FEMA for the corps to do debris removal on its campuses. To date, they are slated to do this at eight campuses across both districts, Swenson added.
The Army Corps hopes to start Phase 2 cleanup at residential burn sites in less than two weeks.
The corps is leading the material cleanup effort with the EPA and in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and in coordination with state and local partners.
Both parts of the two-part debris removal process are happening concurrently, with the Army Corps of Engineers moving in to begin Phase 2 removals as soon as the EPA finishes its Phase 1 clean-up of household hazardous materials, which EPA officials have said will take 30 days.
Properties the EPA deems unsafe to enter are marked “deferred” and passed on to the Army Corps which will conduct “make safer” operations, followed by Phase I and then Phase 2 debris removal.
County Board of Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the launch of Phase 2 is a welcome milestone.
“It shows that we are working together on an accelerated timetable to restore our facilities and communities as swiftly and safely as possible,” she said. “We need to keep this momentum going so that residents can tangibly see, hear, and feel rebuilding progress is underway.”
Elizabeth Blanco, superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District, said she appreciates the support from the government agencies and local partners as schools reopen in phases, even as parents question the district’s approach to reopening and relocating schools.
Phase 2 debris removal operations will expand in the coming weeks to include residential properties slated for clearing across Los Angeles County. For more information on the cleanup effort, visit Debris Removal – LA County Recovers.