EPA Hits 50% Complete Milestone in Agency’s Household Hazardous Material Removal for the Eastern Washington Wildfire Response
WASHINGTON – Following the recent catastrophic wildfires in Eastern Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just hit a major milestone in the agency’s household hazardous material removal operations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) gave EPA sixty days to complete its mission to clear impacted properties of household hazardous materials (HHM). HHM removal began on August 18, 2026, and is now more than 50% complete. With hazardous materials safely removed, Spokane and surrounding communities and Tribes will be able to take the next steps toward rebuilding.
“Reaching the halfway point in this cleanup is a significant milestone, but our work isn’t finished. We took immediate, decisive action from the very start of this response, and that same urgency continues to drive our teams every day,” said EPA Regional Administrator Emma Pokon. “This progress means more families can begin the next chapter of their recovery, and we remain committed to finishing this work safely and as quickly as possible.”
Currently, EPA has approximately 250 specialized personnel working in the Spokane area, drawing the most experienced response staff EPA has to offer from across the country to support.
“Our crews have been out here every day since this response began, working through hundreds of properties with the same level of care on property number one as on property number four hundred,” said EPA Incident Commander Brooks Stanfield. “Fifty percent complete reflects the dedication of our field teams and the strong coordination we’ve had with Spokane County and our state partners.”
At the request of the state of Washington, FEMA tasked EPA with removing household hazardous materials from properties impacted by the wildfires. EPA had people on the ground August 9, the morning after the red flag warning was lifted, coordinating with state and local partners as quickly as possible.
EPA is working closely with Spokane County and our other partners so that our household hazardous material removal work serves as a springboard, not just for individual families, but for the broader recovery of the community.
"The pace of EPA’s work reflects the strength of our coordination across federal, state, local, and Tribal partners,” said Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller. “We have a shared commitment to help everyone affected by these devastating wildfires recover as quickly and safely as possible.”
By the numbers
- 67,700 pounds household hazardous material removed.
- 449 properties completed for household hazardous material removal.
Background
EPA teams remove potentially dangerous everyday products and chemicals, including things like paints, cleaning supplies, and automotive oils, lawn products such as herbicides and pesticides, batteries, including both standard and rechargeable types, and propane tanks and other pressurized gas containers. After a fire, these products require special handling, especially if their containers are damaged. EPA field teams will also remove items thought to have asbestos if they are easy to identify.
This guidance has been shared with impacted communities:
The public can find more information about EPA’s hazardous material removal operations on our Eastern Washington Wildfires StoryMap. This StoryMap has a property lookup tool where residents can see the status of household hazardous material removal on their property. This website is continuously updated as EPA's work moves forward.