Cleanup continues at the Escondido home that was burned to eliminate explosives. The last of the soil, debris and ashes is expected to be hauled away from the property Wednesday.
San Diego County officials said crews tore down the 16-foot-high wall that was constructed from drywall along the north side of the house to protect a neighboring home during last Thursday's controlled burn.
"Ash and debris has been taken to the Otay Landfill while some of the home materials containing asbestos will be shipped to a hazardous waste landfill," said Mark McPherson, chief of the San Diego County Environment Health Department's Land and Water Quality Division.
He said all waste hauled from the home is being disposed in a manner to protect public health.
"The Department of Environmental Health has received a number of questions, and it appears that there is some confusion regarding the disposal of ash and debris from the house," McPherson said. "Hazardous Materials crews who inspected the home's remains determined the chemicals and explosives in the home had been completely destroyed in the controlled burn."
McPherson said the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), which is overseeing the clean-up with the County, determined from debris samples taken from homes destroyed in the 2007 Southern California wildfires that such waste is suitable for disposal in a municipal landfill.
He said the DTSC has determined that the waste at the burned Escondido home is similar to that and can be safely disposed at the Otay Landfill.
McPherson said protective measures include wetting the ash and debris before loading it for transport; lining the roll-off boxes with plastic and wrapping the debris before transporting it and immediately burying it in a lined area at the landfill.
