Spokane, WASH. — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed its removal of hazardous material from properties burned in the Spokane area fires.
The EPA says it cleared 789 properties within one month, ahead of FEMA’s 60-day deadline.
“Helping Eastern Washington communities recover has been a top priority for the Trump EPA, and we had teams on the ground working day and night to get it done,” said EPA Region 10 Regional Administrator Emma Pokon in the announcement. “We are grateful to the greater Spokane community, Tribal Nations, and local agencies for their support and partnership throughout this critical work.”
Since removal operations began, the EPA says it had an average of more than 220 personnel on the ground each day working. Those crews removed more than 195,000 pounds of hazardous waste, making it safer for homeowners, contractors, and local agencies to continue to carry out the rebuilding process.
“People in Spokane have come together to support one another and rebuild their neighborhoods,” said Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington Department of Ecology.
Since the process is finished, many homeowners can begin the next steps in the rebuilding process. For most, that includes completing an asbestos survey before demolition and property clean-up can be done.
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