Federal, state and local agencies come together to speed up wildfire recovery with new temporary processing site at Will Rogers parking lot

Feb. 5, 2025

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is working with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California State Parks, and the city and county of Los Angeles to assist in the safe removal of hazardous household materials from properties damaged by the Palisades Fire. This necessary action helps speed up debris removal on properties destroyed by the wildfire and will enable residents to rebuild their homes faster.

The parking lot at Will Rogers will serve as a temporary site for damaged household hazardous materials transported from nearby properties to be processed, securely packaged, and safely loaded for transportation to a permanent disposal or recycling facility outside of the area. This location is suitable because it is flat, open land in close proximity to damaged properties that require debris removal.

The Will Rogers parking lot is a California State Parks property that has been operated by Los Angeles County for more than 50 years through an agreement with State Parks. Los Angeles County has a separate agreement with the City of Los Angeles for the maintenance of the parking lot. All agencies are working closely to complete this critical recovery work safely and efficiently.

The temporary processing site is closed to the public, and US EPA is using best management practices to process any hazardous household material and keep it contained within the facility. Throughout this process, US EPA will conduct air monitoring to ensure that operations in and around the site are health protective.

This site is an important part of Los Angeles’ ongoing efforts to safely remove fire debris so that the recovery and rebuilding process can move forward as quickly and safely as possible. We ask for your patience and understanding as state and federal partners work towards recovery for our community.

If you have questions or feedback regarding the disposal of any household hazardous materials, please email US EPA representative Rusty Harris-Bishop at harris-bishop.rusty@epa.gov. For media questions regarding state response efforts, email media@caloes.ca.gov.

The mission of CalEPA is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quality and economic vitality. We fulfill our mission by developing, implementing and enforcing environmental laws that regulate air, water and soil quality, pesticide use and waste recycling and reduction. Our departments are at the forefront of environmental science, using the most recent research to shape the state’s environmental laws.

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