Altadena, California — Armed with a spoon and sandwich bags, Gillien Selsby, a lifelong resident of Altadena, California, a Los Angeles suburb, digs up some of the land she's called home for decades to be tested for toxins .

Three generations of her family lost homes in January to the devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena, which, along with the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, claimed more than 30 lives and destroyed more than 16,000 homes in the L.A. area.

Selsby and her parents all plan to rebuild in Altadena, but before they break ground, they have to be sure their land is safe.

The federal government banned lead-based paint for residential use in 1978, but according to numbers from Caltech , more than 90% of the homes in Altadena were built before 1975.

"Their ho

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