Debris Cleared From Thousands of Properties Since January Wildfires in Los Angeles

Concerns remain about the safety of returning to the land due to potential toxins in the soil.

An aerial view of a neighborhood destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 7, 2025. Nearly four months after the Palisades Fire destroyed over 6,800 homes, workers continue to clear hazardous debris from sites where homes had burned, and construction on some new homes has begun. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

More than 4,000 properties participating in government-run debris removal programs have been cleared in the aftermath of the Los Angeles County January wildfires, according to authorities.

The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) reported May 7 that crews had reached the major milestone while working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on structural debris removal from the Eaton and Palisades fires.