What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation

As tens of thousands of residents evacuated from a series of devastating fires in the L.A. region anxiously wait to return to their homes, officials say precautions should be taken before re-entering.

We've compiled a list of suggestions from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and CalFire on how to protect yourself from ash and particles left over from the fire. 

L.A. County Public Works’ Director Mark Pestrella said Thursday the heat from the fires and the strong Santa Ana winds knocked down trees and other debris on to properties.

 "The debris can be hazardous. The debris that is on the private property is considered hazardous and may be toxic," he said.  "It is not safe to remove the debris yourselves. There is a process for that."

He said county officials are working to make sure debris is cleared in a safe way.

CalFire suggests checking for fire on the way back to your home. Also be mindful of weakened poles and trees. Then, when you're on your property, check for embers or dangers from utilities outside and inside your home. If you find fires during your checks, call 911 immediately.

Once you're done checking for dangers, here are some examples of what to do, and what not to do as you clean up: 

What to do

• Sniff for gas leaks before you turn on the power at home or inspect it.
• Enter with a battery powered flashlight to make sure you there is no ignition if there is a gas leak.
• Wear a mask rated N-95 or better while cleaning up. Take Two rated the most effective–and ineffective–masks to combat air pollution.
• Walk carefully. When ash gets wet, it can be slippery.
• Check for embers. Cal Fire suggests looking in the attic, rain gutters, on the roof, under decks, in crawlspaces and in any piles of debris for embers that might've floated in.
• Give your pets a bath to get rid of ash.
• Put on gloves, long pants and a long sleeve shirt.
• Throw away frozen food that might've thawed during a power outage. Also, throw away food that was not in airtight containers, but was exposed to the air, like food stored in cardboard boxes. According to the County Department of Health, food in sealed glass jars and metal cans should be safe. 
• Toss plastic bottles, like bottles of water, that have ash on the caps. According to the County Department of Health, rinsing off the bottle caps is not enough to decontaminate the containers.
• Put any ash you do collect into a plastic bag, so it doesn't blow away.
• If using a generator, use an extension cord to plug appliances directly into generators — no power strips, just one appliance per outlet, to avoid an overload that could shut the generator down
• Take pictures and videos of all damages inside and outside of your home. This might be helpful for insurance purposes later.

What not to do

• Don't turn on your electricity if you see any damage to your meter or you smell a gas leak.
• Don't try to fix any damaged gas meters, gas lines or propane tanks. Instead, Cal Fire says to call your local utility provider. 
• Don't touch any downed wires. Again, call your utility provider.
• Don't let kids play in the ash, whether its dry or wet.
• Don't let ash linger on your skin. If ash does get on your skin, wash it off using warm water and soap.
• Don't eat the food in your refrigerator if there was a long power outage.
• Don't kick up more ash into the air. That means avoid using your leaf blower to clean up the ash. Instead, the County Department of Health suggests sweeping the ash carefully, and then using a wet mop. 
• Don't use too much water, though. As the County Department of Health explains, ash gets slippery when wet.
• Don't use your average home vacuum cleaner to clean up ash unless it has a HEPA-filter. The Department of Health warns that regular vacuum cleaners will just blow the particles back into the air.
• Don't plug a generator directly into your home's electrical panel or power meter — the power can flow back out onto the wires on the street and give workers a bad shock.
• Don't drink water from the taps till officials say its safe to do so.

You can read the complete list of precautions in both English and Spanish on the Department of Public Health's website. CalFire has also aggregated some tips in a brochure.

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Fire resources and tips

If you have to evacuate

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to getting packed up right now to evacuate
• Cheat sheet: A very short guide for how to leave your house if you need to evacuate

If you have more time:

• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you

Things to consider:

• Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
• This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home

Navigating fire conditions

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to driving in high winds and fire danger
• High winds and fires mean power outages. Here's how to prep

How to help yourself and others

• Resources for SoCal fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer

Understanding how it got this bad

• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment