Feds declare Eaton fire was a cleanup success. Their testing shows otherwise

Even though nearly 1 in 5 homes contain excessive levels of lead, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week claimed that recent soil tests in Altadena prove that stepped-up federal cleanup efforts have effectively removed toxic ash and debris from homes destroyed by the deadly Eaton fire.

Earlier this year, the EPA announced it would conduct limited soil sampling of 100 demolished homes in the burn zone to verify that contractors had thoroughly reduced toxic substances. In a recent news release, the EPA said tests found average lead concentrations were below federal standards and “confirmed that cleanup methods successfully addressed contamination and validated cleanup protocols.”

The EPA soil sampling comes amid mounting pressure from residents and environmentalists who say a rushed federal cleanup effort left behind or spread dangerous fire debris. Internal government reports also raised questions about the comprehensiveness of the cleanup.

The EPA has not made its report public but said 95 of 100 soil samples collected near the surface of homes’ building footprints were below the federal lead screening level.

“For people who have some concerns about the adequacy of the work that’s been done by the federal government in Altadena to clean up the ash and debris, I think they need to feel confident that those areas of their property are now safe,” said Mike Montgomery, EPA Superfund and emergency management director.

While explaining his findingsThe EPA cited only federal lead standards, not California’s stricter thresholds. Of the 100 homes sampled, 17 had lead levels above 80 milligrams per kilogram, California’s benchmark for residential properties. The highest lead concentration was 705 milligrams per kilogram, according to a copy of the report reviewed by The Times; that was nearly nine times higher than the state standard and three times the federal threshold.

The results frustrated some Altadena residents, who are seeing more and more fire-damaged homes being rebuilt. Joy Chen, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, called on federal officials to release the full report and provide additional resources to address the increased contamination.

“From the beginning, people were very concerned about this. [federal workers] It did not completely clean up these sites. Now 16 months later, people are taking it upon themselves to test or bioremediate to make sure it is safe to rebuild. Most of us don’t have the resources to make these decisions,” Chen said.

“It would be a lot easier if homes were cleaned to safe levels the first time.”

EPA officials said the agency notified Altadena property owners of the soil test results and encouraged them to inspect them. local public health guidance. Montgomery said EPA officials will proactively reach out to property owners with lead levels above the federal standard of 200 milligrams per kilogram.

Federal disaster officials say some toxic materials in the burn area may have accumulated there long before the fire; this is perhaps the result of decades of burning leaded gasoline or lead paint.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has repeatedly refused to pay for post-cleanup soil testing, breaking longstanding California fire-rescue protocols intended to protect returning residents from toxic substances. FEMA, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA, have claimed that the fire rescue was the fastest in modern history.

Disaster crews removed millions of tons of fire debris from approximately 9,700 properties affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires over nearly eight months.

But hundreds of disaster victims complained about substandard work by federal cleanup workers, and internal government reports said crews left debris behind and in at least one case dumped ash on a neighbor’s property.

In January — shortly after the one-year anniversary of the fires — the EPA announced it would test soil for lead in 100 randomly selected homes destroyed in the Eaton fire and later cleared of debris by federal contractors. The announcement comes after months of criticism that federal cleanup workers mishandled debris, including dumping fire debris and contaminated pool water on neighboring properties.

The Los Angeles Times collected soil samples in March 2025 and published the first evidence showing high levels of toxic substances in already rehabilitated communities. Los Angeles County, UCLA, USC and several other agencies launched their own soil testing studies, and all found high levels of lead in homes that had already been remediated by federal cleanup crews.

Lead is a powerful neurotoxin that can inhibit brain development and cause behavioral problems in young children who inhale or ingest lead. When the Eaton fire consumed Altadena’s historic neighborhoods, many homes covered in toxic lead paint were destroyed. Clouds of smoke and ash then deposited the heavy metal throughout the combustion zone.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health chief medical advisor Dr. Nichole Quick encouraged property owners to seek further testing if they are concerned about contamination, including through free testing services provided by local universities.

Quick said residents can take steps to limit exposures, such as washing dusty equipment and keeping floors and other surfaces clean.

“The guidance is really on how to cut out that ingestion exposure, so we’re talking about a high-risk group, our children with developing brains, pregnant women,” Quick said. “Children also crawl and crawl on all kinds of objects. [put] hands are brought directly to the mouth, so a lot of what we’re talking about is stopping that type of exposure.”

Environmental experts quickly questioned the EPA’s approach to soil sampling, which differed greatly from California environmental agencies’ soil testing procedures. Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University researcher who studies post-disaster environmental risks, said EPA sampling that tests only one mixed sample would likely mask overly contaminated areas of the home. The agency also tested for lead, one of 17 toxic metals tested only following wildfires.

“Apples and oranges,” Whelton said. “Them [the EPA] he only looked for lead and not hot spots. EPA’s approach [took] It’s different than anything California has done for fire cleanup in the last 15 years.

“My advice to property owners who have not done soil testing or who are close to the fire area is to do soil testing as it has always been done.”

The EPA and LA County health department are expected to discuss the soil test results at the Altadena city council meeting on June 16.