From the spectacular cliffs just west of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, which afforded a sweeping view of the Pacific Coast Highway and the sparkling blue-green ocean beyond, a small ceremony marked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ official completion of debris cleanup in the wake of the Palisades fire .

“We’ve accomplished a truly unprecedented feat,” declared Lt. Col. David Weart, commander of the Corps of Engineers’ recovery field office. “The accomplishments here were truly a team effort.”

The milestone is one of an array of recent markers, amplifying the end of what has been a massive federal cleanup effort since the fires in the Palisades and Altadena exploded into being on Jan. 7 in two distinct parts of the county.

It was fast, but it wasn’t always without criticism.

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