The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assisting local agencies and residents with wildfire hazardous waste cleanup in Los Angeles County. EPA has completed reconnaissance at 6,022 properties. This includes 3,636 properties impacted by the Eaton Fire and 2,386 properties impacted by the Palisades Fire.
The agency has successfully removed 80 electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems and will continue ramping up such operations.
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In early February, there were about 1,300 response personnel in the field. EPA is assembling 60 teams to clear hazardous materials from the more than 13,000 residential and 250 commercial fire-impacted properties.
EPA has been assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the first stage of the overall recovery and cleanup: the project to remove lithium-ion batteries and to survey, remove, and dispose of hazardous materials from properties burned by wildfires.
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On Jan. 24, President Trump issued Executive Order Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas. This directs EPA to complete its hazardous materials mission responding to the Los Angeles wildfires as soon as practical. EPA’s work removing hazardous materials is Phase 1 of the federal cleanup response.
After the hazardous material is gone, Phase 2 will remove debris in the burn footprints.
EPA will remove potentially dangerous everyday products including household products like paints, cleaning supplies, and automotive oils, garden products such as herbicides and pesticides, batteries, including both standard and rechargeable types, and propane tanks and other pressurized gas containers.
They will remove visible asbestos and inspect pressurized fuel cylinders (like propane tanks). After a fire, these products require special handling, especially if their containers are damaged. EPA field teams will also remove items thought to have asbestos if they are easy to identify, but the property will not be fully cleared until Phase 2.
EPA will also remove lithium-ion batteries from vehicles, homes and other products.
Guidance on Phase 1: Hazardous Material Removal (pdf)
Guidance on Lithium-ion Batteries (pdf) The public can find more information about EPA’s hazardous material removal operations at EPA’s 2025 California Wildfires website.
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