Eaton Fire survivors urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and elected officials representing Altadena on Friday to ensure properties undergo robust remediation to address contaminants after a recent report found that many homes continued to test positive for asbestos and lead following initial clean up.
On Friday, members of the Eaton Fire Survivors United — a group of Altadena residents who were impacted by January’s blaze — conducted a news conference to discuss the results of their report. A survey of about 50 homes found that 50% of them received access to asbestos testing and 90% of homes had lead testing.
Of those 50 homes, 25 of them tested positive for asbestos, or about 36%, post-remediation. Meanwhile, 45 out of 50 homes, about 96%, tested for lead post-remediation.
The organization says that the laboratory findings highlight that thousands of homes in the Altadena area are unsafe for families and people to return to.
“We’re here today, 10 months to the day since the Eaton Fire, on behalf of thousands of residents whose homes are still standing,” Jane Lawton Potelle said, founder of Eaton Fire Survivors United. “We deserve not just to return to our homes, but to be safe in our homes. And right now, our homes are not safe. They’re full of dangerous poisonous contaminants left over from the fire.”
“We’re asking for something very simple, clearance before occupancy,” Potelle added.
The organization is calling on Newsom, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and elected officials representing Altadena to ensure that each home that survived the fire should be required to achieve “comprehensive clearance status” before residents are moved back in.
“Public officials promised we would be able to return home safely,” Potelle said. “We’re asking them to follow through with their promise and force insurance and companies to finish the job properly so that we can come home safely.”
The results are similar to findings of a Los Angeles Times investigation that was published in May, which found toxins remained in the soil despite federal clean up crews removing about seven feet of topsoil, and other remediation efforts.
The Times arranged for sampling 40 properties, of which 20 that had survived and 20 that were cleaned up by federal crews in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Soil taken from those properties were tested for 17 toxins.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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