Lawsuits accuse industrial hygiene firms of sham inspections on homes damaged by Eaton fire

Eaton fire survivor Simon Penny watched as an environmental technician from Hygiene Technologies International collected potentially toxic samples from his smoke-damaged home without wearing protective gear or taking a single note.

The worker, according to a lawsuit, brushed ashes with a bare hand into what appeared to be a plastic sandwich bag, without labeling the bag or marking where the sample came from within the Altadena house.

Similarly, Jonathan Allen and Bridget Killian...