What authorities described as one of the largest lithium-ion battery cleanups ever is underway in Los Angeles County neighborhoods destroyed by the Eaton and Palisades fires. The batteries are a major challenge in the early stages of the debris removal process after two of the most destructive wildfires on record in California. The batteries power plug-in hybrid cars and EVs, many of which were destroyed by flames in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. The batteries also are found in laptops, cellphones and other items left behind as residents evacuated the neighborhoods.