Clean the ashes of the holy fire? Officials offer precautions and health advice

LAKE ELSINORE - County health officials have warned residents of the Burned Area of ​​the Sacred Fire and surrounding areas to take precautions by eliminating the ashes that have fallen on their cars, driveways and homes.

"Staying burnt does not make it safe," Dr. Cameron Kaiser of the Riverside County Public Health Office. "Ash can be poisonous, even in small quantities, depending on where they come from."

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Ashes from burnt houses and other objects are likely to contain potentially toxic substances such as metals, chemicals and possibly asbestos. Some wet ash can also cause chemical burns.

Public health officials said residents should not start cleaning themselves while the ashes continue to fall and wait for conditions to improve. Once the cleaning has begun, the ash must be moistened before it is cleaned or combed to avoid stirring the harmful powder.

Experts have also warned that drying the ashes of a vehicle can scratch the paint.

They advised to wash a car with a pH-balanced soap because the high pH of the ash can also corrode the car paints when combined with an alkaline soap or even water.

Ash was driven on Saturday with cars to Malibu and Coachella Valley.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a smoke and ash emission to parts of Riverside County by Monday morning.

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