IN SP IRING PRO JE C T


Southern California Fire Cleanup Effort Unites Contractors, Showcases Strength of Construction Community


BY CAROL EATON


I


n the immediate aftermath of the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires that devastated commu-


nities across Southern California, the agencies charged with coordinating the emergency response as well as the con- tractors they enlisted to manage and deliver the cleanup effort knew it couldn’t just be business as usual. Te fires’ toll was staggering and would


require a response to match — one that focused on speed, efficiency, effective delivery, cross-company teamwork, and safety. More than 16,000 structures had been destroyed, displacing thousands. At least 28 people lost their lives. Whole neighborhoods were wiped out. And the toxic soup of lead, asbestos, heavy metals, and other hazardous chemicals


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CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026


left behind would require a monumental effort to clean up before any rebuilding could begin. The Army Corps of Engineers


(USACE), working in lockstep with the Federal Emergency Management Agen- cy and other federal, state, and local agencies, quickly set in motion a re- sponse that met the moment. Involving over 100 contractors and subcontrac- tors and more than 4,000 construction workers at peak construction, this effort showcased the strength of California’s construction industry and what can be accomplished by working together towards a common good. The Eaton and Palisades fires emer-


gency cleanup response would ultimate- ly be the largest wildfire debris mission


in the history of USACE as well as the fastest such mission in the agency’s history. Nearly 10,000 fire-damaged structures were cleared. Asbestos abate- ment was performed on over 5,700 structures, and some 2.6 million tons of debris were hauled away from private and public properties. Te emergency work was completed


in approximately six months, from Feb- ruary to August of 2025 — a fraction of the time originally estimated.


Leadership Drives Success, Removes Roadblocks USACE initiated the emergency cleanup response just days after the January 7, 2025 wildfires ripped through Los Angeles County communities. It called in ECC, an


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