Preparing to Return to Your Property After the Fires

It will be several days or longer before residents in heavily impacted communities can begin returning to their properties. Inspections, search operations, and assessments are being conducted as quickly as possible to expedite residents’ safe return to their properties.

Unfortunately, too many dangers remain to allow you to return to your property safely. Downed power lines must be cleared to avoid the potential for electrocution when lines are reenergized. Hazardous materials from burned homes must be assessed and removed as overseen by the EPA to avoid health risks to you and your family. The Fire Department must make sure that all small spot fires have been extinguished. Sadly, in some cases, we are still searching for remains. All of this work must be done before we can safely allow you to return to your property. Resources are being poured into the field from federal, state and local partners to help complete this as soon as we possibly can. We know how important it is for you to begin the recovery process.

Several teams are working as quickly as possible given the safety and technical constraints of the job, including the EPA, damage inspection teams, public works personnel and utility crews. The work is sometimes hampered by access issues and hazards on site at some locations. We cannot yet accurately gauge when this process might be complete.

You can find real-time, accurate information on the status of evacuation warnings and orders at lacounty.gov/emergency, which is updated throughout the day.

Los Angeles County has provided a mapping tool that allows residents to identify whether their property or other properties have been damaged in the fires that have devastated so many of our local communities. The maps can be found at recovery.lacounty.gov and are easy to use. Just enter your address into the search bar. If your property has been inspected, you will be able to see an image of it online, taken just days earlier. An icon will indicate the current known status: no damage, minor damage, greater than 50% damage or destroyed. If no icon appears for your property, the inspectors have not yet been able to visit and assess it, but teams have already completed inspections of thousands of homes and are rapidly working to finish the job and get everyone access to the information they need. Their appraisal can be the basis for an insurance claim.

The damage inspection process is a house-by-house effort that takes time. Teams are out in the field daily conducting damage inspections as quickly and accurately as possible. The map is updated on a daily basis, including photos of damaged and destroyed properties. In an effort to get information to those impacted as quickly as possible, data is uploaded to the maps as soon as it is available. If your residence is not shown on the map yet, continue to check back for updates.

In most cases, yes. Most major insurance companies have approved the extensive inspection process that our damage inspection teams follow and should accept the results of that inspection as the basis for a claim. However, it can vary from company to company, and you should contact your insurance company.

For information on air safety, please go to: LA County Department of Public Health.

For information on water safety, please reach out to your water utility provider. Some additional contacts are listed following the question immediately below.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: 800-342-5397

Communities devastated by these fires will likely not have utilities available, even if your property is not damaged. Due to the widespread damage, it was imperative to deactivate electricity and gas services to avoid further damage. Once fire agencies release areas for restoration, damage assessment crews inspect areas and remove safety hazards. Vegetation management teams clear debris to support line crews in restoration efforts. As repairs are completed, power is first restored to essential services, and then to as many customers as is safely possible. Dangerous conditions may impact progress. Customers should be prepared for extended and potentially intermittent outages throughout these extreme conditions. If you see a downed power line or dangling wire, stay 100 feet away from it or anything that is in contact with it and call 911 immediately.

Utilities must discontinue billing customers whose properties are not capable of receiving utility services, and utilities cannot assess a disconnection charge. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison have paused billing for customers in areas affected by the fires. You can check current outages by contacting your local power provider or visiting their website:
Clean Power Alliance: 888-585-3788l
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: 800-342-5397
Southern California Edison: 800-655-4555

SoCalGas continues to restore service to properties that have not been directly affected by the Palisades fire or Eaton fire. SoCalGas crews will be arriving in your neighborhood to go door-to-door to safely restore your service. If you are not yet in an area where the evacuation order has lifted or the area is still unsafe, they will leave you instructions on how to make an appointment for gas restoration services.

SoCalGas is forgiving the current bill and the most recent bills of customers whose properties have been destroyed by the fires. Customers who have had their gas supply turned off for safety reasons will not be billed for service during this temporary outage.
SoCalGas: 800-427-2200

Before entering any area that has been severely damaged or destroyed by a wildfire, ensure that local authorities have cleared the area for entry. Once you receive clearance to enter a burned area, take appropriate precautions to protect your health and safety.

Enter the area during daylight hours, when it is easier to avoid hazards. Wear a properly fitted N95 mask to protect against inhaling harmful particles, as well as safety goggles to shield your eyes from smoke, ash, and debris. Wear gloves, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and shoes and socks to protect your skin. If ash comes into contact with your skin, wash it off immediately with warm water and soap.

To read a full list of tips from the Department of Public Health, click here.

The LAPD and LA County Sheriff’s Department are conducting increased patrols in the areas impacted by the fires. Both the County and the city of Los Angeles have established 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfews in areas where evacuation orders are still in place to protect both lives and property. We have also made clear that those who violate the law will be prosecuted.

To protect your property from flash flooding and debris flow after a fire, please refer to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works’ Homeowner’s Guide for Flood, Debris, and Erosion Control.

The Los Angeles Unified School District and Pasadena School District are working diligently to ensure a smooth transition for the reopening of impacted schools. To learn about the latest updates, online learning and other educational tools, visit the school websites or call them directly:
Los Angeles Unified School District: 213-241-1000
Pasadena Unified School District: 626-396-3600
Los Angeles County Department of Education: 562-922-6111

There will be a streamlined rebuilding process. Governor Newsom has cleared the way by issuing an executive order suspending environmental regulations under CEQA, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is committed to eliminating as much red tape as possible to get your community rebuilt. Mayor Karen Bass also issued a sweeping order to create a one-stop shop to swiftly issue permits to rebuild in all fire affected areas. The State, County and city of Los Angeles have all declared emergencies to further expedite rebuilding and recovery.

We understand that you want to return to your property as soon as possible, whether to retrieve a few treasured items or to try to return to a more normal day-to-day life. Evacuation orders will remain in place until the unified command managing the fire response can ensure that your neighborhood is safe. At the moment, downed power lines, hazardous materials, downed trees, toxic water and other hazards make many areas within the fire zones extremely treacherous and completely unsafe to inhabit. Please bear with us and know that we will lift orders and allow residents to return to their property as soon as we can possibly do so safely.

We are sorry, but no. We cannot allow you to put yourself at risk given the dangerous situation in many of these neighborhoods. We will work to lift evacuation orders and allow you to return as soon as it is safe.

Rebuilding your property after a fire can feel slow and frustrating. To help with this process, here is some are key information to jumpstart this process:

Key contacts:

• Building & Grading/Drainage: Local LA County Public Works Building and Safety offices can be found at LA County Public Works Building and Safety office
• Septic Systems: Los Angeles County Environmental Health 626-430-5380
• Fire Prevention: Los Angeles County Fire Headquarters 323-890-4132. Local district office numbers may be found at https://fire.lacounty.gov
• Geology & Soils: Los Angeles County Public Works Geotechnical & Materials Engineering 626-458-4925.
• Planning and Zoning: Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning: 213-974-6411. Local office numbers may be found at: lacounty.gov
• Fire Debris Removal: (888) CLEANLA / 888-253-2652

Phase 1: Household Hazardous Waste Assessment and Removal

How do I obtain a household hazardous waste assessment and removal for my property?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has been assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to survey, remove, and dispose of hazardous materials from properties impacted by the fires. This work is free to residents and is already underway with assistance from the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and local agencies.

As the first stage of cleanup, USEPA will remove potentially dangerous everyday products like:

• Paint
• Cleaners and solvents
• Oils
• Batteries
• Pesticides

USEPA field teams will remove asbestos and inspect pressurized fuel cylinders (like propane tanks). They will also remove items thought to have asbestos if they are easy to identify, but the property will not be fully cleared until Phase 2 (debris removal).

If you have specific questions about Phase 1 Hazardous Material Removal, please email EPALAWildfiresInfo@epa.gov or call 1-833-R9-USEPA (1-833-798-7372).

For general questions about fire debris removal, please contact the Removal Hotline at (844) FIRE DEBRIS / 844-347-3332, available Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 7 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM to 6 PM. You can also visit pw.lacounty.gov/epd/debris-removal/ for more information.

For more information on Phase 1 visit: https://recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/hazardous-material/.

Phase 2: Debris Removal and Clean Up

Residents should not attempt to remove hazardous fire debris themselves. Post-fire house debris is hazardous because it can contain toxic materials like asbestos, lead, mercury, chemicals from household products, and other heavy metals which are released into the ash and debris when structures burn. These materials pose a risk to health if inhaled or handled improperly.

Planning is underway for Debris Removal Activities in coordination with the County Office of Emergency Management and our State and Federal Partners.  Residents should check recovery.lacounty.gov frequently for updates on the debris removal program.

Please go to the Department of Regional Planning website: https://planning.lacounty.gov/disaster-recovery/

Los Angeles County residents directly impacted by fires can request property and vital records free of charge to help with recovery efforts from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office. If you have been impacted, please call 800-201-8999 and select Option 1, followed by Option 2, or email your request with specific information to recorder@rrcc.lacounty.gov. Read an FAQ here.

More community-specific information is available here:
Altadena Information and Resources
City of Los Angeles/Palisades Information and Resources
Pasadena Information and Resources