Los Angeles fire cleanup complicated by 'unprecedented' number of EVs with combustible lithium-ion batteries

Highly combustible lithium-ion batteries utilized successful electrical and hybrid vehicles are complicating cleanup efforts successful the Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by wildfire damage. 

Phase 1 of the national cleanup is underway, arsenic surveyors with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enactment to region and dispose of hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries recovered successful charred vehicles and decimated homes. The EPA warned that batteries should beryllium considered "extremely dangerous," adjacent if they are believed to beryllium intact, and "can spontaneously re-ignite, explode, and emit toxic gases and particulates adjacent aft the occurrence is out." 

The Palisades and Eaton fires aftermath is estimated to necessitate the "largest lithium-ion artillery pickup, cleanup, that’s ever happened successful the past of the world," EPA incidental commandant Steve Calanog reportedly told section KNBC. He explained that removing lithium-ion batteries – adjacent those that bash not look damaged – from occurrence wreckage requires "technical sophistication and care," arsenic hazardous worldly crews find and deionize the batteries truthful they tin beryllium crushed oregon safely shipped for disposal. 

"We don’t cognize the semipermanent effects of each this exposure, and we haven't seen this connected this ample of a standard and this galore electrical vehicles," Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told KNBC. "This is an unprecedented magnitude of electrical vehicles with lithium-ion batteries successful there."

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A car that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire is marked arsenic a non-electric conveyance and not containing ample EV batteries connected Jan.29, 2025, successful Altadena, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

According to the California Energy Commission, much than 99,000 zero-emission vehicles were sold successful Los Angeles County successful 2024 alone, including artillery electric, plug-in hybrid and substance compartment electrical vehicles. 

The Tesla models Y, 3 and Cybertruck were the apical 3 selling zero-emission models sold successful Los Angeles County past year, according to the commission's online tally. 

Authorities are informing that residual vigor poses information for days, weeks and adjacent months aft the archetypal fires, perchance causing lithium-ion batteries to spontaneously combust. 

"With the lithium-ion batteries, adjacent if they look similar they are intact they could person harm connected the inside, truthful they proceed to disconnected state and the off-gas from these batteries tin beryllium toxic to your health," VanGerpen said.

Besides successful electrical and hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries tin beryllium recovered successful idiosyncratic electronics, vaping devices, powerfulness tools, and location vigor retention systems, which person go progressively fashionable during California's powerfulness outages. 

Burned vehicles astatine the Altadena Auto Center aft the Eaton Fire successful Altadena, California, connected Jan. 20, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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President Donald Trump toured the Palisades Fire pain country connected Friday. His enforcement bid issued that aforesaid time to provide h2o resources successful California and amended catastrophe effect volition let the EPA "to implicit its hazardous materials ngo responding to the Los Angeles, California Wildfires arsenic soon arsenic practical," the EPA said successful a connection connected Monday. "EPA’s enactment removing hazardous materials is Phase 1 of the national cleanup response." 

"According to the EPA incidental commander, determination volition beryllium upward of 1,000 radical moving connected Phase 1 cleanup by this weekend," the connection continued. "This work, conducted astatine nary outgo to residents, is simply a mandatory process to guarantee the information of residents and the workers who volition – aft the hazardous worldly is gone – behaviour the Phase 2 debris removal successful the pain footprints, and to forestall these materials from being released into the environment." 

Some of the thousands of homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire, connected Jan. 29, 2025, successful Altadena, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Phase 2, which begins automatically erstwhile Phase 1 is complete, volition impact debris removal and volition beryllium coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

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"Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is doing everything wrong our powerfulness to expedite cleanup of hazardous debris and to assistance supply Californians safer entree to their spot arsenic soon arsenic possible," EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Chad McIntosh said successful a statement. "With President Trump’s Executive Order, helium has authorized a full of authorities effect to the catastrophic wildfires successful Los Angeles – an effort that has ne'er been seen before. EPA is moving with local, authorities and national partners successful summation to the backstage assemblage to assistance successful California’s recovery."