Trump Administration Finishes Phase 1 of EPA’s Largest Ever Wildfire Cleanup in Record 28 Days, Ahead of President Trump’s Ambitious Timeline
Emergency Response
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency completed its Phase 1 hazardous materials mission related to the catastrophic Los Angeles County wildfires in under 30 days, as directed by President Donald J. Trump in an Executive Order. This effort has been the largest wildfire hazardous waste cleanup in the history of the EPA.
“President Trump set an extremely ambitious deadline for EPA to clean up all hazardous materials in the wake of the deadly California wildfires. Thanks to his leadership and the hard work of countless personnel in the field, we got it done in record time. There is still a long road ahead for thousands of residents who lost everything just a few weeks ago, but EPA is proud to do our part in the recovery process. The community will rebuild stronger than ever before,” said Administrator Zeldin.
At the direction of President Trump, EPA partnered with the U.S. military and U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop and execute a response plan. Under EPA leadership, crews identified and cleared hazardous materials from 13,612 residential properties and 305 commercial properties, paving the way for debris removal and other stages of the recovery effort to move forward. Administrator Zeldin traveled to Los Angeles on February 6, 2025, to survey damage and meet with EPA personnel on the ground.
By the Numbers:
- 13,612 residential properties surveyed
- 6,631 Eaton Fire
- 6,981 Palisades Fire
- 9,201 properties cleared
- 4,852 Eaton Fire
- 4,349 Palisades Fire
- 4,381 properties deferred to Phase 2
- 1,038 Electric Vehicles and Bulk Energy Storage Systems Removed
Phase 2 will be conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Properties deferred to Phase 2 means that due to the presence of unsafe conditions at the property, hazardous waste removal crews cannot complete Phase 1 work. In this case, hazardous waste removal, if required on a particular site, will be completed by the USACE as part of their Phase 2 debris removal work.
FEMA assigned EPA the first phase of the overall recovery and cleanup: to survey, remove, and dispose of hazardous materials and to remove lithium-ion batteries. This work, conducted at no cost to residents, ensured the safety of residents and the workers who will — after the household hazardous materials are gone — undertake Phase 2 of the post-fire recovery. For more information on EPA’s Phase 1 work, visit the EPA California Wildfires webpage. Learn more about EPA’s lithium-ion battery removal work.
Additionally, EPA convened a working group to coordinate with utilities, state, local and federal stakeholders to expedite cleanup operations and meet unmet needs in the sector. At the request of water utilities, EPA also is providing technical assistance to help bring systems back online. EPA offered technical assistance as local air authorities monitor for air pollution in the communities impacted by both fires.
EPA secured temporary storage, or staging, locations for materials from each fire site. Staging areas are essential to the hazardous material removal process and will enable residents to rebuild their homes faster.
Once the staging areas are no longer needed for EPA’s Phase 1 work, EPA will sample the soil in staging areas to ensure no negative impact to the property and provide the owner with a summary report. Some staging areas may remain during Phase 2 to ensure proper handling and disposal of materials collected from deferred properties. In those cases, USACE will complete the breakdown and sampling of the staging areas when their work is complete. Please visit EPA’s staging areas for the LA wildfires (pdf) to learn more.
The public can find more information about EPA’s hazardous material removal operations at EPA’s 2025 California Wildfires website.