It's been almost two years since the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes, but for those who survived the flames, soil health remains a concern.
Cassie Sinclair was pregnant when she evacuated, and now she is worried about letting her 1-year-old daughter, Summer, play in her own yard.
"Insurance only covered the actual structure; they don't cover the land," Sinclair said. The cost to do the entire property was in the tens of thousands of dollars, and that doesn't include any new plants.
So, although everything inside the home was replaced, the soil was not.
"When I asked for them to remediate the soil so my baby could play outside, they said that was not part of our insurance policy," Sinclair said.
So the county is now stepping in, or at least trying to, with its New Roots Eaton Canyon Pilot Program, to test the soil for those living in the burn scar.
"We really don't know one hundred percent what the environmental impact has been." Carolina Romo, with the LA County Development Authority, said, noting that applications are now being accepted for the new pilot program.
"What's so unique about this fire is that it didn't take out the entire area. You still have communities and streets, such as this one, where you see all around us— there are still homes," she said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed soil from the lots where homes burned, but the ones that survived were not touched. Caltech released a report last week showing that the Eaton Fire smoke plume exposed residents to lead at levels 80 times what is normal.
"We just don't know the condition of the exterior and how safe it is for our children," Sinclair said.
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is launching the program with $1 million, prioritizing families with children under 6, to test the soil and, if necessary, clean it up.
"There is a lot of science that speaks to lead, especially on pregnant members of households and small children under age 6," Romo said.
As for the Sinclairs, they've been trying to clean up their own yard one patch at a time, but it's expensive. They're hoping the new program will clean up the rest.
"There's no such thing as an indoor baby. They're meant to be outside playing," Sinclair said.o
The county says there are 1,900 homes still standing in the burn scar that may be eligible to apply, and those applications need to be in by Nov. 25.
