Topanga Ranch Motel Complex Site

Update:  Feb. 11, 2025 (3:20PM)

California State Parks is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) along with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to assist in the safe removal of hazardous materials from properties damaged by the Palisades Fire. This action will allow debris removal to take place on properties destroyed by the wildfire and enable local residents to rebuild their homes faster.

The former Topanga Ranch Motel Complex, also destroyed in the fire, in Topanga State Park is serving as the temporary site where hazardous items will be transported from nearby properties to be safely processed, sorted, and packaged following all state and federal environmental, health and safety standards. These items will then be transported out of the area into an approved location for permanent disposal. This site fits needed criteria to serve as a temporary site as flat, open land close to destroyed properties.

The temporary processing site is closed to the public, and US EPA is using best management practices to prevent contamination of this site from any hazardous materials being sorted and transported. State Parks anticipates this work taking up to three months to complete. After completion of the work, US EPA will test the soils at the staging area for hazardous substances and ensure the levels are at or below the initial reading. In the event of a higher reading, US EPA will remediate the site back to the original levels. This measurement and monitoring information will be provided to the public. As the long-term stewards of Topanga State Park, we are intensely committed to protecting the health of the park and this site, and we support the expedited recovery operations.

This site is an important part of Los Angeles’ ongoing efforts to safely remove fire debris so that the recovery and rebuilding process can move forward as quickly as possible. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work to serve and help the recovery and rebuilding process take place.

If you have questions or feedback regarding hazardous materials removal, please email US at EPALAWildfiresInfo@epa.gov. For questions about the park, email angelesinfo@parks.ca.gov.

The US EPA has deployed over 1,000 personnel and more than 60 teams to condense what is normally a six-month to one-year cleanup process into a 30-day expedited operation. This is swift and strategic decision to help the community recover and get people back in their homes quicker. Each US EPA team goes directly into the ash footprint of impacted properties to carefully remove household hazardous waste by hand—this includes items such as:

  • Undamaged household waste that needs proper disposal, such as batteries, propane tanks, paints, pesticides, and aerosol cans.
  • To the extent that any of these materials are damaged, they are isolated, triple-wrapped, and placed in a sealed drum on-site before being transported.
  • Find US EPA’s fact sheet to the Topanga staging area here.
  • Once materials are removed from properties, they are transported to the staging site at the former Topanga Motel property, where they are temporarily consolidated.
  • When enough materials have been collected, they are loaded onto a larger truck and transported out of the area.
  • Materials collected will be safely transported and disposed of according to state and federal standards. We do not yet know which hazardous waste facility will be the final disposal location.
  • Depending on how quickly materials are collected, transport may occur daily or every few days.
  • The staging site is critical and will remain in place for approximately 90 days to support this effort.
  • The State has authorized the use of the Topanga Motel site because it is within the burn area and has enough space to safely stage materials before transport.
  • This is not a waste disposal site—long-term storage is not occurring here.

We understand concerns about air and water quality, and the EPA has assured that strict safety measures are in place:

  • Air Quality Protections – No heavy equipment is being used; materials are being removed by hand to prevent disturbance of ash and debris.
  • Water & Ocean Protections – The US EPA is implementing mitigation measures to ensure runoff protections are in place to prevent any impact on Topanga Creek or the ocean.
  • No hazardous materials collected in the burn footprint will be placed on the ground in the staging area without barriers beneath the container.

The US EPA created a website where the public can find additional information such as frequently asked questions, fact sheets and more. You can find the website at epa.gov/California-Wildfires.