Protesters block trucks carrying Palisades Fire debris from dumping loads at Calabasas Landfill

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Calabasas-area residents are continuing to push back on Palisades Fire debris getting dumped in what they call is their "own backyard."

More than a dozen protesters blocked several trucks from going into the Calabasas Landfill to drop off their debris load from the Palisades Fire on Tuesday, creating a temporary but tense standoff.

The trucks eventually did make their way into the landfill.

The protesters, who say they live nearby, don't want any of the debris from the Palisades Fire at the landfill.

"The message is we don't want the Palisades Fire debris in our community landfill," said Calabasas resident Kelly Rapf Martino, who participated in Tuesday's protest. "This is a residential neighborhood. It's got six schools immediately surrounding us, a park within 100 yards, my house probably within a football field from the landfill, and this toxic debris does not belong here."

READ ALSO | Residents, city leaders protest dumping fire debris in Calabasas Landfill

At a town hall meeting in Calabasas last week, the Army Corps of Engineers and L.A. County Public Works told residents the Calabasas Landfill is designated to safely accept disaster-related waste, adding that the county-owned facility is not accepting household hazardous materials as part of the debris removal.

One of the truck drivers, who identified himself as Rob, spoke to Eyewitness News.

"They don't understand how many thousands of people are without homes... that need to rebuild. They need to get their lives together," he said. Then, gesturing toward the protesters, Rob added: "These people have their homes."

At one point, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies from the nearby Lost Hills Station arrived on scene to make sure the protesters were not blocking the road leading into the landfill.

The protesters were told they'd be arrested if they continued to block the public road. No arrests were made.

Last week, the Calabasas City Council passed a motion to "vehemently oppose any fire debris from being brought to the Calabasas Landfill."

Las Virgenes Unified School District President Dallas Lawrence was at Tuesday morning's protest and said the board voted to support the city of Calabasas in its efforts to stop the dumping.

"We just left an emergency meeting with our school board," he said. "We voted unanimously to support the Calabasas lawsuit, stopping the dumping of toxic hazardous waste here, requiring environmental impact studies, and really demanding that our local elected leaders, from the county on up to the governor, and event the president, come forth and tell us what their plan is to ensure that there are no toxic chemical waste in this facility."