⚠️ 𝗛𝗔𝗭𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗟: EPA Toxic Waste Cleanup Winds Down at Will Rogers and Topanga Sites скачать в хорошем качестве

⚠️ 𝗛𝗔𝗭𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗟: EPA Toxic Waste Cleanup Winds Down at Will Rogers and Topanga Sites

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 25, 2025) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the final stages of operations at the Will Rogers State Beach and Topanga State Park toxic waste sites, established as part of the federal response to the devastating Palisades Fire. Full demobilization is expected by next week. As the sites are dismantled, EPA teams will conduct post-operational environmental sampling to confirm that no adverse impacts resulted from cleanup activities. Most staging infrastructure at both sites has already been largely removed. EPA officials noted that comprehensive safety and mitigation measures were in place throughout the duration of the cleanup to safeguard public health and protect the surrounding environment. The temporary sites served as collection and processing areas for hazardous materials recovered from burned properties across the fire zone. The agency’s work forms part of a broader all-of-government response coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which assigned EPA the responsibility of identifying, removing, and safely disposing of hazardous household waste left in the wake of the wildfire. Materials such as batteries, solvents, propane tanks, and industrial chemicals were consolidated and repackaged at the staging sites before being transported to specialized disposal facilities. This effort marks the completion of the first essential phase in the post-fire recovery process and represents the largest wildfire hazardous materials cleanup in EPA history. The mission was supported by multiple government partners, including FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and California state agencies. The Palisades Fire, which erupted on January 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, burned through an estimated 23,448 acres, destroying 6,837 structures and displacing more than 100,000 residents in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and San Fernando Valley regions. Intensified by prolonged drought and Santa Ana winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour, the fire overwhelmed containment efforts and led to 12 confirmed fatalities. Aerial firefighting teams were initially grounded due to high wind conditions, complicating the early response. The fire was officially contained on January 31, 2025. With the completion of EPA’s hazardous waste operations, attention now shifts to long-term rebuilding and environmental restoration across the fire-affected zones.