Evacuated residents wait hours to return to burned neighborhoods of the

Residents of certain neighborhoods of Los Angeles waited until they were allowed to enter the burned area and review what remained of their calcined homes.

Residents eager to see what had been of its properties after Palisades fire of January 7 They waited in their cars for hours on Tuesday to return to their neighborhoods after the officials raised the last evacuation orders.

A row of vehicles extended along the Pacific Coast Highway and the drivers slowly advanced towards a parking lot next to the beach in Santa Monica, where they had to show an identification to receive a permission that allows them to enter the burned area and check what that remained of its burned homes. They must leave the area at dusk because a curfew is still in force.

The authorities had allowed residents of certain neighborhoods to return since last week, although police escorts were required. On Monday afternoon, the city raised all the remaining evacuation orders and eliminated the escort requirement.

The sun shone after the first significant storm of the season, which brought rain that helped firefighters, but also loosen the burned slopes and caused ashes and mud to flow through the streets. No major problems were reported.

Firefighters were close to completely containing the Palisades fire and the nearby Eaton fire, which also began on January 7 during the strong winds of Santa Ana.

Residents were urged to use protective equipment. Health officials warned that neighborhoods are full of toxic ash which is a mixture of incinerated, electronic cars, batteries, construction materials, paintings, furniture and other domestic items. It contains pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead.

The city officials and Los Angeles Count aimed at federal officials to help local authorities.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has appointed a Federal Park east of Los Angeles as a temporary storage site for hazardous materials left by fires.

However, local elected officials oppose the election of the site, expressing concerns that the Lario Park in the San Gabriel Valley could become a permanent toxic landfill.

“Although I recognize the importance of addressing the sequelae of the fire and ensuring the proper disposition of hazardous waste, this federal project has not included the consultation or consideration of local communities that will be directly affected,” said the Los Angeles County Supervisor , Hilda Solis, in a statement on Monday.

Solis and others are concerned that residents could be at risk if hazardous materials pollute the air or filter into the groundwater used by hundreds of thousands of people.

The EPA said it would take measures to reduce those risks transporting waste outside the area regularly.

“The EPA will make an air monitoring on the perimeter, and a water truck will spray three times a day to control the dust,” said an EPA statement. “The waste will be properly packaged and removed from the site daily, without coming into contact with the ground.”

The Palisades fire, the largest of the fires in the regionhad reached 95 % containment on Tuesday after destroying more than 6,800 structures and killing at least 12 people. The Eaton fire, which exploded near Altadena and has killed at least 17 people, was contained in 99 %.

The Hughes fire, which began north of Los Angeles last week and caused evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000 people, was almost contained.