Los Angeles woman's storm drain homeless encampment now declared a hazmat zone
Woman's storm drain home now declared hazmat zone
A homeless woman's storm drain homeless encampment is now declared a hazmat zone by Los Angeles officials. The declaration comes a day after Matthew Seedorff first reported on the South Los Angeles encampment.
LOS ANGELES - A storm drain in South Los Angeles, where a homeless woman was found living underground, is now the focus of a hazardous materials cleanup, raising new concerns about conditions in the area.
Sanitation crews in protective gear were seen removing human waste and debris from the drain near 88th and Grand, which officials described as a "hot zone," with authorities keeping the public at least 100 feet away.
The site is the same location featured in a FOX 11 exclusive report earlier this week, where a woman was living inside the storm drain.
Following that report, firefighters responded Tuesday, but the woman left the area, and it is unclear whether she was connected with services.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- City vows to address people living in underground storm drains
- Woman living in storm drain approached by Los Angeles City crews, police, firefighters
The surrounding neighborhood shows signs of a broader crisis. The area is lined with tents, RVs, and even a boat, with little visible enforcement as a street sweeper passed through.
Residents also point to ongoing issues nearby, including prostitution activity along Figueroa across the 110 Freeway.
"It’s probably like a little city under the storm drain," one neighbor said. "People constantly coming up and down."
About three miles away, near 45th Street and Grand Avenue, similar conditions were observed. A visible wire stretched across the street toward an encampment, suggesting an improvised electrical connection.
People living in the area declined to speak on camera, while one neighbor agreed to speak anonymously because he feared retaliation.
"They sell stuff," one resident said , speaking anonymously. "You never know."
Residents also reported a fire hydrant being used as a water source and a nearby utility box tapped for electricity. Streetlights in the area have reportedly been out for years, with some blaming copper wire theft.
"Sometimes I see people pulling up the copper," another neighbor said, adding that the lights have been out "probably a couple years."
A second storm drain nearby is also being used as shelter, according to residents.
"They just pop that lid, go inside. I guess they have beds over there," one neighbor said.
In a statement to FOX 11, a spokesperson for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the city has mobilized a response to locations along South Grand Avenue.
"Both sites are being cleaned, and people are being offered resources," the statement read. "This is so tragic and is emblematic of the tough challenges that Mayor Bass is taking on that were ignored for decades."