See more of our coverage in your search results.
A massivefederal cleanup operationlaunched after the deadly Eaton Fire appears to have worked, according to new soil testing results released by theUS Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA said 98% of testedproperties in the Eaton Fire burn zonemet federal safety standards for lead levels found below the surface.
Another 95% met federal standards for lead levels in surface soil after cleanup crews completed their work.
The findings follow the January 2025 wildfires that tore through Altadena neighborhoods, destroying homes and raising serious concerns about toxic contamination left behind in ash and soil.
Federal crews led by the US Army Corps of Engineersremoved burned debris and scraped away the top six inches of soil beneath destroyed homes as part of the cleanup effort ordered after the fires.
The new testing suggests those efforts were largely successful.
More than 4,200 soil samples were collected from 100 randomly selected destroyed properties where federal cleanup crews had already finished debris removal work.
According to the EPA, 95 out of 100 surface soil samples collected near the homes’ building footprints tested below the federal lead screening level.
Officials said the results confirmed that federal cleanup methods significantly reduced lead contamination across the burn zone.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
