“DANGER: Lead Work Area” reads a sign on a front door of an Altadena home. “May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.”

Block after block there are reminders that contaminants still linger.

House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and homeowners alike come and go wearing masks, respirators, gloves and hazmat suits as they wipe, vacuum and power-wash homes that weren’t burnt to ash.

It’s been a year of heartbreak and worry since the most destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area’s history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people. Two wind-whipped blazes that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. Rebuilding will take years.

As flames incinerated whole blocks in Southern California, fierce winds pushed dark, speckled ash through Rossana Valverde’s door frames, windows and vents. Her home stood a short drive from the worst destruction caused by January’s Eaton Fire, but she had gotten lucky: Apart from a singed tree, her property appeared unscathed.

Yet the acrid stench in the bungalow she shared with her husband suggested otherwise. The remains of other people’s homes now permeated hers.

• Federal oversight reports allege that the main contractor hired to clean up the Eaton and Palisades fires may have illegally dumped toxic ash, reused contaminated soil and cut corners.

• Inspectors documented crews moving fire debris onto neighboring properties, burying ash and burned materials to avoid full removal, re-contaminating “cleared” lots and spraying polluted water into storm drains.

• Despite warnings about lead and other toxins, FEMA refused to fund post-fire soil testing. State agencies are noncommittal about how they will handle such testing in the future.

The primary federal contractor entrusted with purging fire debris from the Eaton and Palisades fires may have illegally dumped toxic ash and misused contaminated soil in breach of state policy, according to federal government reports recently obtained by The Times.

Joy Chen, an author who was also the administrator of the pickleball WhatsApp group for the Altadena Country Club, has become a leader among other Eaton Fire survivors. "CBS Saturday Morning" takes a look at how Chen is helping her community rebuild after immense losses.