Palisades, Eaton fire zones ‘pose risk in our environment right now’

Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella warned residents that the burn zones being cleared after the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires still pose a high risk to property owners and motorists.

Pestrella spoke during an 8 a.m. news conference updating the public on the county’s recovery efforts as it deals with what he described as one of the largest natural disasters in the nation’s history.

“Many of my colleagues around the country are also agreeing it’s probably one of the largest natural disasters, specifically in damage to infrastructure, seen in the United States,” Pestrella said.

Pestrella expressed concerns that people entering the burn areas remain at risk.

“The state of affairs is that the area is unstable and a high risk to people. Whether you’re a traveling motorist or you’re a property owner, there is risk in our environment right now. Risk of bodily damage, property damage, risk to lives and risk to the environment,” he said.

Despite spending “tons and tons” of money and resources to reduce risk, Pestrella said it will take time before the burn areas will be deemed safe.

Among the concerns is the safety of burn zone hillsides, especially as a pair of winter storms move through Southern California this week.

“The rain is part of it but it goes beyond that. We’ve had slopes – natural slopes and man-made slopes – that are quite unstable right now, that could fail and have been failing even when it’s not raining. The rain hits another level of concern for me,” Pestrella said.

Pestrella asked the community for patience as he announced that rubble from burned homes had created some 4.5 million tons of debris, nearly half of what he said L.A. County throws away in a year.