Household Hazardous Waste Removal Process to Begin for Properties Impacted by the Kincade Fire

En español

The County of Sonoma will conduct an initial Household Hazardous Waste sweep on properties impacted by the Kincade Fire to protect the public and the environment.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors adopted an emergency ordinance which seeks to protect public health, the environment and to facilitate the recovery process for those residents whose properties were either destroyed or damaged by the fire. 

The Kincade Fire has had a devastating impact on Sonoma County, just as our community continues to recover from the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires. As of today, 77,758 acres have burned, 374 structures have been destroyed, 174 of which are residences, and an additional 60 have been damaged, 34 of which are residences. These numbers include destroyed properties in Sonoma, Napa, and Lake counties.

Household Hazardous Waste Cleanup

The County is working to enter into an emergency contract to begin removing Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) from properties impacted by the Kincade Fire at no cost to impacted property owners. 

On November 1, 2019, the Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Celeste Philip issued an order advising community members to refrain from entering the burn footprint without personal protective equipment, and to not begin cleanup activities until authorized by the Department of Health Services, Environmental Health.  Hazardous debris after a wildfire can expose residents to toxic materials, and improper transport and disposal of fire debris can create dangerous health impacts throughout the community. 

The selected contractor will inspect properties and remove any Household Hazardous Waste that may pose a threat to human health, animals, and the environment such as batteries, asbestos siding, and paints. All commercial, residential and out-buildings impacted by the fire will be included, regardless of size. 

Hazardous Household Waste clean up will begin on Tuesday, November 12 and is expected to take up to 3 weeks. 

Debris Removal

The County is developing a process for a private debris removal program to help property owners complete debris removal and will provide additional information by the end of this week.

As more information is available on debris removal it will be posted on www.socoemergency.org/recover.