Lithium-ion batteries pose hidden dangers to communities destroyed by the Pallisard and Eton fires.
Chris Myers, co-chairs the Environmental Protection Agency’s Li-Ion Battery Emergency Response Task Force, leads multiple teams from Pallisard and Altadena in the Pacific to properly locate, collect and dispose of these batteries.
“We have a battery in one of all properties,” Myers said. “I now have my two phones and an airpod, and I have four. Batteries are a way of life.”
Before homeowners begin rebuilding, the EPA focuses on removing all lithium ion sources from burn sites, especially batteries found in electric vehicles and battery banks for solar panel systems.
“We don’t want uncontrolled batteries that are dangerous to be present on the site,” Myers said.
Lithium-ion batteries can fire at temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, making them difficult, if not impossible, for firefighters to fire flames.
“Well, if you’re packed with thousands of batteries well and if you run at that temperature, the battery next to it will damage it,” Myers said. “It’s called the Cascade Thermal Runaway Event.”
Pacific Palisade crews will bring lithium-ion batteries to a site along the Pacific Coast Highway near Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
On the site, they soak the battery in a special liquid before physically destroying it.
“So we’ve salted them, crushed them, made them safe,” Myers said. They have no way to hold the bill anymore, right? This possibility has been mechanically eliminated. ”
Myers said the process is safe for the public.
“Every time we touch on these things, and every time we remove them from the field, we reduce the chances of impact on human health,” he said.
The Los Angeles County wildfire debris removal process is currently in phase 1, removing hazardous material clearance from properties caused by EPA. Once the EPA has finished work and the property is considered safe, the engineering corps can remove debris from properties whose owners opt in to the free removal program under Phase 2. Residents can also opt out of the program and hire their own. Contractor.
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