XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics.republicans, talk.politics.guns

Go green they said.
They were wrong.

'Burning Teslas in L.A. Add to Toxic Mix Hindering Cleanup'
'A Lot of the Cars in the Evacuation Area Were Lithium Batteries’'

<https://www.ttnews.com/articles/burning-teslas-toxic-mix>

'As the smoke clears from devastating Los Angeles wildfires, efforts to
clean up the affected areas are being complicated by burnt-out electric
and hybrid vehicles and home-battery storage systems.

Lithium batteries from Tesla Inc., along with those from other
carmakers, have added to the mix of toxic materials requiring
specialized removal in the wake of the fires, delaying the fire victims’ return to their properties.

“A lot of the cars in the evacuation area were lithium batteries,” said Jacqui Irwin, a state assembly member representing the Pacific
Palisades, one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the fires. “We’ve
heard from firefighters that those lithium batteries burned fires near
homes — like those with power walls — for much longer.”

The L.A. wildfires, which began Jan. 7, have taken at least 27 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. While the dry, dangerous winds are
forecast to end — a lack of rain and another possible round of winds
next week has kept officials concerned that the danger is not over.


Estimates for insurance losses from the fires have rapidly jumped to as
high as $40 billion and BlackRock Inc. CEO Larry Fink has warned it
could take a decade to rebuild the city. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency has already allocated $100 million to the cleanup
effort.

There were over 431,000 Teslas in operation in the Los Angeles area as
of October 2024, according to data from S&P Global Mobility. Based on
new registrations, their market share locally was three times that of
the rest of the nation. The Tesla Model Y was the biggest-selling
vehicle in the state through September, according to the California New
Car Dealers Association.

Fires in lithium batteries can require large amounts of water to put out
with automakers publishing guides for first responders detailing how to respond.

In some Palisades and Eaton fire areas, residents who had been under
evacuation orders were allowed to return to their homes Jan. 16. But
others whose homes were destroyed or are in areas of heavy fire damage
will have to wait until utilities and structures are inspected and
determined to be safe before they’re allowed to look for personal items
or inspect damage themselves.


At a briefing Jan. 15, county Deputy Public Works Director Cid Tesoro
urged residents allowed into areas burned by the Eaton fire not to try
to clean up debris, which can contain sharp objects and toxic materials, including asbestos, lead, mercury and other chemicals.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also aware of the complications. In an executive order this week, he said the state is “still adapting to newer technologies” like lithium-ion batteries, which can pose distinct risks
when exposed to high heat from fires. Two years ago, Newsom signed an
executive order requiring all vehicles sold in the state be
zero-emission by 2035, while the state has become a leader when it comes
to battery storage.

San Diego firefighter Robert Rezende, a specialist in lithium-battery
hazards who’ll be assisting in the cleanup effort, said protocols
developed during the 2023 fires in Maui will be used in Los Angeles. But
the scale of this event, and the hazards, are magnitudes larger.

“The state has seen other fires, but nothing this urban, with so many neighborhoods and structures where you’d expect to see more electric
vehicles and other energy storage systems,” Rezende said. “We’re anticipating a pretty big lift.”


In Maui, the Environmental Protection Agency shipped more than 30 tons
of lithium batteries from over 1,400 properties for recycling.

The initial phase of cleanup involves the removal of materials most at
risk to public health, according to Tara Fitzgerald, an incident
commander with the agency. That includes pesticides, batteries or fuels
and other products that would normally be considered hazardous household
waste.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an order Jan.
15 prohibiting unsafe removal of fire debris, warning of “substantial” risks to human health and the environment when improperly treated,
stored, transported or disposed. Independent removal of debris is
prohibited without an inspection from approved agencies, including the
EPA and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

“The combustion of building materials such as siding, roofing tiles and insulation result in dangerous ash that may contain asbestos, heavy
metals and other hazardous substances,” the health department said. “Household and business hazardous substances such as paint, gasoline, cleaning products, pesticides, compressed gas cylinders and chemicals
may have been stored in business locations, homes, garages or sheds that
may have burned or released in the fire.”

The Palisades fire did substantial damage to the neighboring city of
Malibu. Mayor Doug Stewart said in an interview that the state is taking responsibility for debris removal, and that it did a good job managing
the cleanup after the Woolsey fire there in 2018. That conflagration
destroyed 1,600 structures, while the Palisades fire has destroyed or
damaged more than twice that.

The rebuilding process will take a long time. Six years after the
Woolsey fire, only 182 of 363 single-family homes approved for
rebuilding have been completed.

Much of the city is still under evacuation orders and lacking power.
Building inspectors are conducting rapid visual assessments of damaged properties and are 35% complete, according to Malibu’s website. Stewart
is worried that toxins from burned homes will pollute the beaches and
ocean when rains start.

“We’ve got a responsibility to the environment,” he said. “A beautiful day in Malibu is what draws us here and makes life so idyllic. That’s
what we have to protect'

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