CBS’s 60 Minutes tonight will rebroadcast its “Left Behind” investigation into the massive cleanup effort following Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed 13,000 properties and left 9 billion pounds of toxic ash and debris across Altadena and the Pacific Palisades.
The segment will air aired Sunday at 7-8 p.m. ET/PT during the newsmagazine’s postseason edition featuring an additional hour on faraway places, documented the two-phase hazardous waste removal process that has left some residents still feeling unsafe about returning home.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports on how the Environmental Protection Agency completes the first step of removing hazardous waste, while the Army Corps of Engineers handles the rest of the debris clearance.
The investigation highlighted particular dangers from damaged electric vehicle batteries found in the wreckage.
“It sounds like you’re treating these batteries almost like a live grenade in the field,” Alfonsi said to Chris Myers during the segment about the explosive risk posed by damaged lithium-ion batteries.
Despite expedited cleanup efforts by federal agencies, the segment revealed ongoing concerns from residents about safety conditions in the affected neighborhoods.
The “Left Behind” report originally aired March 30 and was updated for the May 25 postseason broadcast as part of special extended programming.
60 Minutes is currently under the leadership of interim executive producer Tanya Simon following Bill Owens’ resignation in April. The program’s correspondent team includes Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker, Anderson Cooper, Sharyn Alfonsi, Jon Wertheim and Cecilia Vega, with Norah O’Donnell serving as a contributor.
The wildfire cleanup story was part of a special postseason edition featuring previously broadcast segments that had been updated.
