Since the days following the Eaton and Palisades fires, which began Jan. 7, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been steadily working to clear ash and fire debris across the Eaton and Pacific Palisades burn areas. To date, FEMA has approved $3 billion for the cleanup and other aid to survivors—but it’s still a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated $130 billion in damage attributed to the fires.

At press time, 5,468 properties from Eaton that opted in for Corps cleanup have been completed, approximately 96%. The Corps defines a completed property as when “we return those rights of entry back to the owners so they can start the next phase, which is the rebuilding phase,” Swenson says.

Meanwhile, crews cleaning the Palisades Fire have removed 1.13 million tons of debris and cleared 3,544 properties that submitted right of entry for the Corps, equating to 93% completion.

The EPA says more than1,700 staff members cleared 9,201 properties in both fire areas in just 29 days during what it calls the largest wildfire hazardous materials cleanup in the agency’s history. The disposal included 1,038 electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems.

Many other local firms also stood at the ready to pitch in. “The construction industry was eager to step up and support our Southern California communities following the devastation earlier this year,” says Peter Tateishi, AGC of California CEO. “Crews were mobilized quickly, and we are proud to see tangible progress being made for the families who lost their homes and communities.”

Emeryville, Calif.-based Anvil Builders, one of those subcontractors, significantly ramped up its labor force to handle the immense scope of work during the cleanup. Anvil foreman Philip Thompson brought lessons learned while working on the Camp Fire recovery. “I remember distinctly talking to a homeowner in Paradise, and he said ‘I couldn’t see my future while all the ash and debris was here. Now that it’s gone, I can actually see my house being rebuilt.’ So on the human side of that, that’s the best part of what we’re doing now: we’re helping everybody see their future.”

At peak in Altadena, Swenson says 241 crews were clearing around 130 properties per day and filling 3,000 truckloads. With the more challenging mountainous terrain of Pacific Palisades, Palazzini says they were taking up to 1,300 truckloads per day to recycling and landfills. At its last update June 9, FEMA said it had cleared 2.3 million tons of debris.

LA County has also moved from response to full-fledged recovery, says Mark Pestrella, Los Angeles County Public Works director. On top of the approximately 13,000 properties damaged, critical infrastructure impacts included three bridges and hundreds of miles of roadway, along with the storm drain, inlet/outlet and channel systems. Debris basins were either damaged or overflowing with debris, all requiring major reconstruction.

“In terms of power recovery, we’re at 153 miles of linear power lines that are going to be undergrounded—but aren’t yet—and that includes telecom as well,” Pestrella says.

Multiple strategies are in place to help with the rebuilding process. Homeowners can rebuild “like for like,” which means they can build back so long as they build substantially what they had before in about the same location—with up to an additional 10% or 200 sq ft, Barnett explained. In Eaton, about 60% of homes were built in the 1940s or earlier, so all those homes will now be rebuilt to current code.

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