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“I mean, I anticipate being done with every property by the one year anniversary of the fire. So around January 7th, January 8th, 2026,” said Colonel Eric Swenson of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. “I think the vast majority of [properties] will be done much sooner than that.”
Swenson said there will no doubt be some properties that could take longer if their owners did not return necessary legal paperwork or opted out of the Army Corps program.
The cleanup effort represents the largest wildfire response in Environmental Protection Agency history, with over 1,600 staff members currently in the field. EPA officials reported completing 82% of Altadena’s household hazardous waste removal since work began on January 28th, with a March 31st deadline for property owners to submit Right of Entry forms.
In a separate item, the Town Council announced a partnership with gofundme.org to launch the Altadena Eaton Fire Relief Fund. The Chief Executive Officer of GoFundMe, an Altadena resident, became the fund’s first donor. A committee of town leaders will oversee fund distribution. (Full story here.)
To address mounting concerns from renters, officials established a new Renters Protection and Recovery Committee.
Los Angeles County will open a permanent one-stop rebuilding center by March 3rd. A temporary center currently operates at the Altadena Local Assistance Center at 540 West Woodbury Road, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
“So property owners in Los Angeles County, unincorporated communities can begin the permitting process for rebuilding with Public Works, Fire department, Public Health, and Department of Regional planning, all our key permitting agencies in one convenient location,” said Ciarra Barnett from Los Angeles County Public Works.
The fire destroyed 9,418 structures total, including 6,018 single-family dwellings, 96 multifamily dwellings, 153 commercial buildings, and 3,146 other minor structures. An additional 1,073 structures were damaged. Approximately 200 of the destroyed homes were in Pasadena, with the remainder in Altadena.
Property owners can rebuild up to 10% larger while qualifying for expedited “like-for-like” permits, or up to 120% without triggering reassessment. All rebuilt homes in fire hazard zones must meet Chapter 7A requirements for fire-resistant materials.
Officials estimate the cleanup will require about 185,000 truckloads of debris removal across both fire areas, averaging around 700 trucks per day at peak operations. The United States Army Corps of Engineers will remove foundations, fire-damaged trees, and six inches of soil within the ash footprint plus two feet beyond structure perimeters.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department implemented a new home check system for displaced residents, accessible via:
Public Works is addressing street light repairs, with 15 poles requiring replacement among the area’s 3,320 total lights.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will release updated fire hazard severity zone maps for Southern California on March 24th, with officials warning zones are likely to expand rather than contract.
Property owners pursuing private cleanup must complete work by June 2025, while those opting for government assistance can track their Right of Entry status through a new public viewer being developed.
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