Volunteers with the nonprofit organization All Hands and Hearts vacuum and wipe down items from Elle Schneider’s home.
Photographer: Alex Welsh/BloombergWhen Is Your Home Safe After Wildfire Smoke? LA Researchers Have Some Answers
Smoke from the Los Angeles fires spread toxins across thousands of homes, but in the absence of government guidelines, residents say they’re struggling to clean up.
At a church parking lot near Los Angeles, two hazmat-suit-clad workers vacuumed and wiped most of the contents of Elle Schneider’s house. Surrounded by stacked plastic bins of books and clothes, they opened up the drawers of a squat wooden dresser and swabbed the outside of a tall white cabinet.
The blaze that ravaged the LA suburb of Altadena in January stopped some 50 feet short of the freelance cinematographer’s home, but its plumes filtered through doors and windows, leaving behind lead and other hazardous substances.