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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 3 February 2025
As crews clean up from L.A. wildfires, some residents are furious

over hazardous waste

By DORANY PINEDA ing used for emergency fire
Associated Press operations, including the
DUARTE, Calif. (AP) — Not Rose Bowl and the Santa
far from where Ceci Carroll Anita Park in Pasadena.
lives, a rock-mining compa- They chose the Lario Park
ny has polluted the air with site because it suited their
dust across the San Gabriel needs and was available.
Valley, she said. She emphasized the EPA
Now, as crews clean has done this work for years
charred remains from the across the state.
Los Angeles wildfires, she “We did the exact same
worries about a new po- thing” for the Woolsey,
tential source of contami- Santa Rosa and Napa fires,
nation: a site to process Fitzgerald said, and “we
hazardous debris from the did not have any impacts
Eaton Fire. to the community during
“I’m concerned about the the entire process.”
community and also the But the Eaton and Palisades
school districts here, where fires are unprecedented.
we have children,” said Together, they torched the
Carroll, a Duarte resident of largest urban area on re-
23 years and former local cord in California, accord-
school board member. Fire-damaged vehicles are lined up at a dealership after the Eaton Fire swept through Wednesday, ing to an Associated Press
“We’re dealing with the Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. analysis, and more than
site with the chemicals and Associated Press double the urban acre-
hazardous materials,” she Jan. 7 charred thousands Supervisor Hilda Solis said in bio and local mayors op- age consumed by the 2018
said. “Parents are absolute- of buildings, cars and elec- a statement. posing the site grilled state Woolsey Fire.
ly concerned.” tronics across the Los An- The mostly Latino commu- and federal officials: How EPA says protective mea-
Carroll is among residents geles area. The EPA has nities adjacent to the site was the site chosen? Why sures being taken
from Duarte, Azusa and begun the enormous task are exposed to higher lev- weren’t we consulted or The EPA said it would regu-
nearby cities opposing the of removing potentially els of ozone and particu- notified? Why truck toxic larly monitor air, sample soil,
Environmental Protection hundreds of tons of hazard- late matter pollution than waste 15 miles (24 kilome- use water trucks to control
Agency’s use of Lario Park ous materials from the Ea- other areas, according to ters) from the burn zone dust and transport waste
in Irwindale as a temporary ton and Palisades fires. That data from the California and risk contaminating our out of the area daily.
site to separate, package includes paints, pesticides, Office of Environmental communities? What test- The agency lines areas
and transport potentially solvents, compressed gas Health Hazard Assessment. ing will be done after it’s with plastic where materi-
hazardous materials from cylinders, ammunition and Experts acknowledge resi- closed? als are processed and uses
the Eaton Fire. lithium-ion batteries from dents’ concerns, but say Hundreds of residents wattles, earthen berms and
In ordinary times, people electric cars that could turn hazardous waste is not crammed into the perform- other items to control spills.
picnic, bike or ride horses toxic when burned. necessarily harmful as long ing arts center and spilled The waste will be trans-
on equestrian trails in the “The removal of these ma- as safety measures are in into the hall. They shouted ported on surface streets,
federally owned land. They terials should not come at place and the waste is not “Shut it down!” and chant- not freeways, so trucks can
now worry about danger- the cost of creating a toxic stored on site for years. ed “Leave it in Altadena!” travel at a slower and safer
ous waste that could pol- environment for communi- Residents have questions EPA coordinator Tara speed, the EPA’s Celeste
lute the air or seep into ties already disproportion- about waste site Fitzgerald told the audi- McCoy told the county
groundwater. ately impacted by pollu- At a town hall Wednesday, ence that sites closer to the Board of Supervisors. q
The blazes that began on tion,” Los Angeles County California Sen. Susan Ru- Eaton burn zone were be-
Parent at a Texas school band competition tackles a gunman who

injured 1, officials say

PASADENA, Texas (AP) — A The Angleton Independent Samaritans” helped appre-
parent tackled a man who School District said the per- hend him, the district said.
opened fire during a band son who was injured was a “Within 60 seconds a sus-
competition at a Houston- percussion technical con- pect was disarmed and
area high school as several sultant for their band. Po- they prevented further
others then helped disarm lice said the man, who the shooting by this suspect,”
and detain him in a shoot- district said was struck in Pasadena police Chief
ing that injured one person, the shoulder, was taken to Jerry Wright said at a news
officials said. a hospital and was in stable conference.
The man in his 80s entered condition. The Pearland Independent
Pasadena Memorial High The man who opened fire School District said in a
School on Saturday eve- wasn’t affiliated with the statement that some par-
ning during the competi- competition, according to ents of the students in their
tion that involved students the Pasadena Indepen- district “bravely intervened,
from numerous school dis- In this image taken from video, first responders arrive at dent School District. He was successfully subduing the
tricts and discharged a Pasadena Memorial High School after a shooting near Houston, tackled by a parent after individual and detaining
Texas.
small-caliber weapon, po- Associated Press discharging the weapon them until law enforce-
lice said. Police said in a and then school district ment arrived.”
statement they did not yet know a motive in the shoot- ing. police and “several good