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'Los Angeles fire cleanup complicated by 'unprecedented' number of EVs
with combustible lithium-ion batteries'
'California wildfire cleanup challenged by electric and hybrid vehicle batteries'
<
https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-fire-cleanup-complicated-unprecedented-number-evs-combustible-lithium-ion-batteries>
'Highly combustible lithium-ion batteries used in electric and hybrid
vehicles are complicating cleanup efforts in the Los Angeles
neighborhoods ravaged by wildfire damage.
Phase 1 of the federal cleanup is underway, as surveyors with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work to remove and dispose of
hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries found in charred
vehicles and decimated homes. The EPA warned that batteries should be considered "extremely dangerous," even if they are believed to be
intact, and "can spontaneously re-ignite, explode, and emit toxic gases
and particulates even after the fire is out."
The Palisades and Eaton fires aftermath is estimated to require the
"largest lithium-ion battery pickup, cleanup, that’s ever happened in
the history of the world," EPA incident commander Steve Calanog
reportedly told local KNBC. He explained that removing lithium-ion
batteries — even those that do not appear damaged — from fire wreckage requires "technical sophistication and care," as hazardous material
crews find and deionize the batteries so they can be crushed or safely
shipped for disposal.
"We don’t know the long-term effects of all this exposure, and we
haven't seen this on this large of a scale and this many electric
vehicles," Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told KNBC. "This
is an unprecedented amount of electric vehicles with lithium-ion
batteries in there."
LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: LAWSUIT ALLEGES VIDEO SHOWS WHAT STARTED EATON
FIRE
Burned car marked as not containing an electric battery
A car that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire is marked as a non-electric
vehicle and not containing large EV batteries in Altadena, California,
on Wednesday. (David McNew/Getty Images)
According to the California Energy Commission, more than 99,000
zero-emission vehicles were sold in Los Angeles County in 2024 alone,
including battery electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric
vehicles.
The Tesla models Y, 3 and Cybertruck were the top three selling
zero-emission models sold in Los Angeles County last year, according to
the commission's online tally.
Authorities are warning that residual heat poses danger for days, weeks
and even months after the initial fires, potentially causing lithium-ion batteries to spontaneously combust.
"With the lithium-ion batteries, even if they look like they are intact
they could have damage on the inside, so they continue to off gas and
the off-gas from these batteries can be toxic to your health," VanGerpen
said.
Besides in electric and hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries can be
found in personal electronics, vaping devices, power tools and home
energy storage systems, which have become increasingly popular during California's power outages.
Aerial view of burned cars in Los Angeles
Burned vehicles at the Altadena Auto Center are seen after the Eaton
Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan. 20. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via
Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: CALIFORNIA CITIES VOW TO ‘SHUT DOWN’ EPA’S
DUMPING SITE FOR ‘TOXIC’ WASTE
President Donald Trump toured the Palisades Fire burn area on Friday.
His executive order issued that same day to provide water resources in California and improve disaster response will allow the EPA "to complete
its hazardous materials mission responding to the Los Angeles,
California Wildfires as soon as practical," the EPA said Monday in a
statement. "EPA’s work removing hazardous materials is Phase 1 of the
federal cleanup response."
"According to the EPA incident commander, there will be upward of 1,000
people working on Phase 1 cleanup by this weekend," the statement
continued. "This work, conducted at no cost to residents, is a mandatory process to ensure the safety of residents and the workers who will —
after the hazardous material is gone — conduct the Phase 2 debris
removal in the burn footprints, and to prevent these materials from
being released into the environment."
LA neighborhood reduced to rubble
Some of the thousands of homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire are seen in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. (David McNew/Getty Images)
Phase 2, which begins automatically once Phase 1 is complete, will
involve debris removal and will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is doing everything within our
power to expedite cleanup of hazardous debris and to help provide
Californians safer access to their property as soon as possible," EPA
Acting Deputy Administrator Chad McIntosh said in a statement. "With
President Trump’s Executive Order, he has authorized a whole of
government response to the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles — an
effort that has never been seen before. EPA is working with local, state
and federal partners in addition to the private sector to aid in
California’s recovery."
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