Your car didn’t escape the fire. Here’s how to get rid of it

In the chaos of fleeing from the fast-moving flames of the Palisades and Eaton firestorms, many evacuees were forced to abandon their cars, some in the middle of the street, to escape the blaze.

There are a few options for disposing of your damaged or destroyed vehicles.

Fire survivors from both communities are currently not allowed to return to their fire-damaged properties to clean up or remove fire debris, including scorched cars, until a hazardous materials inspection is completed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The inspection is done during the first phase of a debris removal program led by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. In this first phase, which is free to residents, the EPA will go through burned areas to assess, remove and safely dispose of household hazardous materials including paints, cleaners, solvents, oils, batteries, herbicides and pesticides.

Once the EPA cleanup crews deem a property to be free of hazardous waste and materials, a completion sign is placed on the property. This means the property is ready for Phase 2.

The EPA will update its online map so the public can track the status of the EPA’s work.

In the second phase of the program, owners of destroyed structures will be able to participate in a government-sponsored program to have their properties cleared of fire debris, including burned cars.

Am I responsible for disposing of my fire-damaged vehicle?

You don’t have to be. If you decide to opt into the second phase of the county’s debris removal program, the damaged vehicles will be removed free of charge.

Vehicles left behind on a burned property will be removed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the second phase of the program, said Lisette Guzman, public information officer for the Department of Public Works.

“The vehicles will then be taken to a lot where the county will process [them] for recycling,” she said.

The process for removing fire-damaged or destroyed vehicles will be the same for residents of burned areas in Altadena and the Palisades communities.

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How do I opt into the second phase?

You can opt into the county’s second phase of the program by submitting a “right of entry” form, which gives the government authority to manage debris removal from your property.

That entails:

• Property assessment of environmental hazards
• Removal of asbestos, hazardous or burned trees, ash and soil, burned debris, fire-damaged vehicles and potential foundation removal
• Structure demolition of clearly destroyed structures
• Installation of erosion control such as straw wattles, compost socks and hydromulch
• Tribal, archaeological and biological monitoring for environmental and historical preservation

To participate in the county program you must fill out and submit an “opt-in” form that can be downloaded online or found at one of the Disaster Recovery Centers.

There are several options to submit the form:

• Drop off the document at one of the two Disaster Recovery Centers between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. The Altadena Disaster Recovery Center is at 540 W. Woodbury Road, Altadena 91001; the UCLA Research Park West location is at 10850 West Pico Blvd. #1, Los Angeles 90064.
• Drop off the document at any of these three Los Angeles County Building and Safety offices: the San Gabriel Valley Office at 125 South Baldwin Ave., Arcadia 91007; the Calabasas Office at 26600 Agoura Road Suite 110, Calabasas 91302; or the Headquarters Office at 900 South Fremont Ave. (3rd Floor), Alhambra 91803.
• Email the form to roe@pw.lacounty.gov. Limit the file size to 150 megabytes. If you don’t receive a confirmation response within two business days, call the county hotline at (626) 979-5370.
• Mail the form to the Los Angeles County Public Works-Environmental Programs Division, “Attention: Debris Removal Team” at P.O. Box 1460, Alhambra 91802-1460.
• Fax the form to (626) 458-3569.
  

What if I don’t want to opt into the second phase of the county program?

You can also work with a licensed private company to dispose of your vehicle by going through your auto insurance provider, according to the California Department of Insurance.

If you want to go this route and not participate in the county removal program, you have to first opt out of the county program by filling out and submitting an “opt out” form.

The form can be submitted by:

• Turning it in at any County Building and Safety office near you. A list of office locations and their hours of operation can be found online.
• Turning it into any of the Disaster Recovery Centers that are listed above
• Mailing the form to the Los Angeles County Public Works-Environmental Programs Division “Attention: Debris Removal Team” at P.O. Box 1460 Alhambra, CA 91802-1460
• Emailing the form to optout@pw.lacounty.gov

After submitting your “opt out” form, you need to apply for a cleanup permit from the county’s EPIC-LA online portal to handle debris removal from your property. This step cannot be done until after you receive EPA certification of the completion of the Phase 1 hazardous material cleanup on your property.

The county will then review your application along with your contractor’s work plan to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards.

You will be responsible for any removal costs that exceed your insurance settlement amount for debris removal.

When it comes to removing a fire damaged vehicle, the cost will be covered if you have a comprehensive insurance coverage policy that covers the loss of the vehicle as well as the process of recovering it, said Mark Friedlander, spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute.

That’s because the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy covers damage from wildfires and other natural disasters, including floods, windstorm damage and hail damage, Friedlander said.

Your insurance claim adjuster will walk you through the process.

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Is the removal process the same for electric and hybrid vehicles?

Yes, the removal of fire-damaged electric and hybrid cars is the same as other vehicles if you opt into the second phase of the debris removal program.

The only difference is that during the first phase of the debris removal program, the EPA will remove the car batteries along with your home backup power supplies, items that are considered household hazardous materials.

Cleanup teams must de-energize and decommission the batteries for proper recycling and disposal.

I had to abandon my car in the middle of the street to evacuate. Now what?

If you had to abandon your car on the road, it’s likely that the damaged vehicle has already been removed.

In the Pacific Palisades community, the Los Angeles Police Department is responsible for the removal of fire-damaged cars, according to county officials.

In Altadena, the responsible agency is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Investigations Division is working to identify damaged vehicles, including those whose vehicle identification numbers are not identifiable because of fire damage, said Ronald Ongtoaboc, spokesperson for the DMV.

I need to file a claim with my auto insurer but I lost all my vehicle information. Now what?

If you lost your driver’s license, registration, vehicle title or disabled placard in the Los Angeles-area fires, you can apply for replacements from the DMV and have the fees waived.

For example, you can request a replacement driver’s license or identification card by visiting a local Disaster Recovery Center where DMV officials can help you replace or reapply for the documents.

You can seek the same assistance at your nearby DMV office. A list of DMV locations and contact information is here; online appointments can be made here.