‘Phase 2’ Wildfire Debris Removal Expands as Cleanup Advances

Despite the rain, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is continuing its “Phase 2” wildfire-debris removal efforts Thursday, with work advancing at five Pasadena Unified School District campuses destroyed or damaged in the Eaton Fire.

The start of Phase 2 was announced Tuesday, with the work initially involving two PUSD campuses — Loma Alta Elementary School in Altadena and Edison Elementary in Pasadena.

Army Corps of Engineers Col. Eric Swenson told reporters Wednesday that crews were working at five PUSD campuses. It was unclear which other campuses were being cleared. Swenson said no clearance work had yet begun on any residential properties, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency still conducting its Phase 1 removal of household hazardous wastes from destroyed properties.

Officials have said that individual properties could move into the Phase 2 debris-removal stage, even as Phase 1 cleanup continued in the burn Palisades and Eaton burn areas.

EPA officials said Wednesday there were more than 1,000 people working on the hazardous waste removal effort, but only about 5% of affected properties had been cleared so far.

But the start of Phase 2 work marked a major advancement in the clearance work, which is expected to take at least a year to fully complete.

“Beginning Phase 2 means we’re making tangible progress toward recovery,” Swenson, the Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles Wildfires Recovery Field Office commander, said in a statement Tuesday. “Our teams are working with urgency and care to remove hazardous debris while ensuring the safety of the community, workers and the environment.”

Phase 2 involves clearing fire-damaged properties of hazardous ash and debris.

“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” PUSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco said in a statement. “This debris removal effort will allow us to begin the recovery process with confidence, and we are grateful for the support from (the Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency) and our local partners.”

Corps of Engineer officials said the Phase 2 operations will expand in the coming weeks to include residential properties destroyed by the Eaton and Palisades fires.

County officials on Wednesday again urged fire-affected residents to fill out “Right of Entry” forms to either opt in or out of the free Phase 2 debris-clearance program offered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Residents have until March 31 to complete the forms, which are available online at:

recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/

or at any FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Wednesday about half of affected residents in the Eaton and Palisades fire areas had filled out the forms to opt in to the clearance program.

Residents also have the option of opting out of the program and hiring their own private contractors to perform the work. But that work cannot proceed until the EPA completes its waste- removal program, which is expected to take at least a month.

Status updates on the EPA’s work, including an interactive map of individual fire-affected properties, are available online at:

epa.gov/ca/2025- california-wildfires.

The cleanup efforts have sparked criticism from some residents concerned about the sites being used to process hazardous materials being removed from destroyed properties by the EPA.

Residents, however, are being allowed to return to their properties, along with contractors and utility workers, as they assess damage and determine how to move forward.

A nightly curfew for the burn areas remains in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The Red Cross and county health officials have been distributing personal protective equipment to people heading for the burn area, and authorities urged people to wear protection as they sift through the potentially hazardous debris.

Both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in the Altadena and Pasadena areas, which erupted on Jan. 7, are now fully contained, according to Cal Fire.

The Eaton Fire caused at least 17 deaths, destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged 1,073 more while burning 14,021 acres.

The cause of both fires, which began while the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 to 100 mph, remains under investigation.

Swenson said previously that he anticipates the vast majority of the debris-clearance work to be completed within a year. He said previous comments about the process taking up to 18 months included potential delays involved with some properties in which ownership could be in question or the resident died.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said the county is working on a set of guidelines for property owners who would like to put temporary “accessory dwelling units” on their fire-damaged properties, allowing them to live on site while rebuilding work is done.

A local FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers is open in Altadena at 540 W. Woodbury Road, to assist homeowners with applying for aid. The centers are open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The deadline for fire victims to apply for FEMA financial relief is March 10. According to the county, FEMA has already approved more than $54 million in housing and other assistance for 24,575 households. More than 117,200 individuals have registered for FEMA assistance.

The Rev. Al Sharpton announced that he will travel to Pasadena on Thursday to lead a noontime memorial service and rally for victims of the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires. The civil rights leader will appear with attorney Ben Crump, who represents relatives of several Southern Californians killed in the blazes.

The service will be at First AME Church at 1700 N. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena, and will also include Pastor Larry Campbell.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed accusing Southern California Edison power lines for sparking the Eaton Fire. The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that investigators on the Palisades Fire believe there was a human element to the fire, including the possibility it began with a flare-up of a New Year’s Day fire that was believed to have been doused.

By the time all the damage is assessed, the fires are expected to constitute the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

The UCLA Anderson Forecast released a report Tuesday estimated that the two fires caused property damage and capital losses ranging between $95 billion and $164 billion, with insured losses at $75 billion.

AccuWeather last month issued a revised estimate putting the damage and economic losses at between $250 billion and $275 billion.