LA Wildfires: CORE's Smoke Remediation Work

LA Wildfires: CORE’s Smoke Remediation Work in The Eaton Burn Scar

We’ve all seen the pictures or watched the videos on the news of Altadena: house after house, block after block, mile after mile of destruction. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and just as many families were left displaced by the blaze. But what’s less talked about are the homes or apartments that were left standing.

Each instance a miracle or a stroke of lucky random chance. Families and homeowners felt grateful that they didn’t lose it all—a rainbow in the aftermath of a storm. But in the weeks and months after this unthinkable disaster, the reality of the situation came more into view, painting a greyer picture instead.

The smoke from the fire and the ash and debris left behind after fire crews extinguished the blaze are often full of harmful materials like lead and asbestos. And no home is perfectly airtight, plus countless windows were shattered by the intense heat, meaning all those toxic materials made it inside. So, for those whose homes remained standing, all their belongings, from furniture to clothes, to carpets, blankets, and bedding, were contaminated.

Unfortunately, cleaning these homes and apartments safely and properly is time-consuming and expensive, and many Altadena residents don’t have the money to pay for it.

The Impact of CORE's Smoke Remediation Work

While Blanca didn’t lose everything in the fire like so many others, and her apartment remains intact, she still experienced loss. With lingering ash and smoke damage, she lost the sense of safety that she once had in her own home, a feeling shared by many of the remaining residents in Altadena and Pasadena.

For months, Blanca looked for help but couldn’t find anyone willing to lend a hand. That is, until she got connected with CORE.

LISTEN TO BLANCA’S STORY ON KTLA

In partnership with local non-profits, NDLON, the Fire Poppy Project, and All Hands and Hearts, CORE has, so far, assisted 65 residents throughout the Altadena area who’ve experienced smoke damage from the Eaton fire by providing vital smoke remediation work.

To keep everyone safe, specially trained staff, wearing safety equipment, go into homes and first test for asbestos. After the results come back, the staff will take all necessary precautions while meticulously cleaning all surfaces, including walls, floors, furniture, and other personal belongings that may have suffered smoke damage.

For CORE’s Disaster Response Team Lead, Tracy Reines, it’s imperative that this work get done. “If we don’t do it, a few things can happen. People can come back to an unsafe house. They can do the cleaning themselves, but it may not meet the safety standards they deserve. Or they’re waiting for months and months for insurance that may or may not ever come to do it,” she said.

The smoke remediation teams meticulously go through these spaces, using HEPA filter-equipped vacuums and cleaning solutions for surfaces, ensuring they eliminate contaminants. The work is time-consuming and laborious, but remediation must be done correctly. CORE and our partners want residents back in their homes, returning to them that sense of safety and security they had lost.

“We’re prepared to do hundreds of homes. We are keen to have more resources to do it, but we are going every day, all day, all week…to go through this community and help, get people back home,” Tracy said.

If you’d like to learn more about CORE’s ongoing wildfire work and our years-long plan for those impacted, please visit our response page. Or if you’d like to support our efforts, please visit our donation page.