From Baywatch to toxic waste - LA's iconic beaches unrecognisable

Under orders from President Trump, the EPA is trying to fast track the clean-up of toxic debris from LA's fires.

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But now the iconic beach is surrounded by the ruins of burned homes and palm trees, its parking lot a sorting ground for hazardous waste from the wildfires. The beach babes have been replaced by Environmental Protection Agency crews in hazmat suits sifting through melted electric car batteries and other hazardous waste before it's trucked away to landfills.

The Palisades and Eaton fires generated a staggering amount of debris, estimated to be 4.5 million tonnes. In comparison, the devastating Maui fires of 2023 generated about 400,000 tonnes, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Those fires took three months of clean-up by the EPA, which is in charge of removing hazardous waste. But now the agency is hoping to finish their job in LA in just a month - by 25 February - after President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the EPA "expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris".

The decision to sort through the hazardous waste along the coast has prompted protests and as the clean-up of fire debris moves at unprecedented speeds, many are asking if and when the ocean water will be safe for swimming and surfing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g05gzvp57o

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