Health concerns intensify over Boyle Heights fire as LA officials say smoke will blanket city for 3 more days

Health concerns over a large fire burning at a Boyle Heights cold storage facility intensify as fire officials say smoke will continue to fill the area for the next several days. 

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said on Sunday that "incredible headway" has been made as crews have worked around the clock to battle flames at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Big Bear facility at 1400 S. Los Palos Street, which stores frozen foods.

On Monday, he said they anticipate fully extinguishing the fire by Wednesday and returning the building to Lineage and the property owner by Friday.

"This has not been a conventional firefighting operation from the onset," Moore said during a Monday news conference. "The conditions here have required us to think differently; our incident commanders have risen to the challenge. We have integrated private sector resources directly into this incident command system, which is not something we do routinely. It has made a meaningful difference."

Aerial footage of the fire on Monday showed thick plumes of smoke still coming from the facility, with several fire engines and crews working in the area.  

At a press conference over the weekend, Moore said firefighters have changed tactics and are using larger 3,000-gallon water-dropping helicopters to drop retardant on the building. He also said that they split the building in half and successfully confined the fire to one side of the large structure.

Crews have been working to tear off part of the building's exterior to improve ventilation. Moore said since the blaze is now a fire-burning fire with Class A combustibles, "which would be just your regular byproducts. That's why you're seeing a lot of smoke that's still being generated."

Fire officials said in a news release that as crews continue firefighting operations throughout the day, the volume and color of visible smoke may fluctuate. Moore said, "I would anticipate this smoke for about two more days, possibly three."

"The best way to describe this is like a giant cooler," Moore said on Saturday, adding that the structure was built with corrugated steel walls filled with dense foam insulation and reinforced interior steel panels.

The building also used ammonia in its refrigeration system to maintain extremely low temperatures for frozen food storage, which may have fueled the fire on its initial day of burning.

"Imagine your refrigerator having a fire. And so, you have the shell of the outside and the shell on the inside," Moore said during a news conference on Saturday afternoon. "What protects everything from the weather, or whatever the temperature is on the outside, is the rubber. ... If you can imagine, that's exactly what's happening here."

Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Boyle Heights, enabling state resources to be used. Moore said that water cannons from Texas will be arriving on Sunday.

"From the start, the chief and I assured every possible resource would be put on this fire. While it still burns, the progress is remarkable, and that is a testament to the bravery and expertise of LAFD," Bass said during a news conference on Monday. "I know Angelenos all across the city are concerned as they see and smell the smoke ... Smoke is smoke, and any smoke exposure can cause temporary irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs."

Health concerns intensify over smoke 

Residents have been voicing their concerns about the potential long-term environmental and health impacts caused by the large blaze. 

"It makes me feel like, because we're in the area we are in, and we're lower class, that there's just no help for us," one Boyle Heights resident said. 

A South Coast Air Quality Management District particle pollution advisory remains in effect through Monday, until 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Officials said that after the fire's reignition on Friday night, sensors showed that PM2.5 levels were unhealthy. They also said that "very unhealthy conditions" were measured throughout Boyle Heights on Sunday. 

Lineage, the building's tenant and operator, released a statement indicating that the fire may have originated from work being performed by a third-party contractor handling solar panels on the roof. 

"Lineage is the tenant-operator of this building," the company said in a statement. "At this time, we believe the fire began while testing was being conducted by contractors of the third-party owner of the solar array located on the facility's roof. This facility is not used for the storage of hazardous materials. It primarily serves as a temperature-controlled storage facility for frozen food before it makes its way to Greater Los Angeles area communities and beyond. Our understanding from LAFD and AQMD is that there have been no measurable ammonia concentrations recorded in the community since the fire started. Additionally, Lineage has proactively taken additional steps to pump out the ammonia and transport it offsite, removing the possibility of ammonia posing a risk to the community. This facility and the supply chain it connects with employ hundreds of local jobs. We are grateful that no team members at the facility were harmed."

On Monday, Lineage told CBS LA that the building is owned by Chill Build Los Angeles I, LLC, and that the solar array on the building is owned by Los Palos Street Operating, LLC, which is a subsidiary of Altus Power. The building's solar contractor is Pearce, which is a subsidiary of CBRE.

Pearce said it is cooperating with LAFD and other agencies. They stated that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Lineage shared an updated statement on Monday afternoon to state that they are providing air purifiers and masks to community members affected by the incident, and that they would do so as long as needed. They also said that they have brought in food trucks to provide approximately 1,000 meals to Boyle Heights residents and firefighters. 

"We want to be transparent with the community about what is stored in this building. This building is used to store food — meat, bread and other foods you would find at a grocery store — not hazardous materials," the statement said, in part. "As we remain committed to doing everything we can to help firefighters and the community, we want to be clear that this fire was not caused by our operations or our team. Lineage is the tenant-operator of the building, not the owner. We believe the fire started on the roof when the owner of the solar array, Altus Power, was doing tests. The solar array does not power the building directly but provides power into the city power grid. As we step up for the community, we are also urging Altus to join us getting the Boyle Heights community the support they desperately need."

Residents who notice unusual odors, smoke, dust, or other air quality concerns are urged to report them to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Complaints can be submitted by calling 1-800-CUT-SMOG (1-800-288-7664), or by using the agency's online complaint system to report air contaminants both indoors and outdoors. To view current air quality, download the South Coast AQMD app or visit www.aqmd.gov/AQImap.

Los Angeles County Public Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis spoke at Monday's news conference and urged residents to stay indoors and to wear a mask if they must go outside. 

"If you go out and it bothers you, go back inside," Davis said. "If you have to go out, put on a mask in order to reduce your risk of exposure to whatever is in the air, in terms of these particles."

He also urged residents to follow AQMD's advisories because conditions may rapidly change. 

"People should continue to follow AQMD's advisories," Davis said. "As we've seen over the course of this time, they've changed. Right now, in some areas that were unhealthy yesterday, they're good, or they're moderate. In other areas, they're still very unhealthy. You really have to pay attention to where you are."

No evacuation or shelter-in-place orders issued

Officials have warned residents that although they may continue to see smoke for the next couple of days, there are no current evacuation or shelter-in-place orders issued in the area. Residents have been advised that the smoke may be irritating, especially for groups who are sensitive to air quality.

"If you are sensitive to smoke, please be cognizant of that and try to stay indoors," cautioned Moore. "But there is nothing in the air that is so dangerous that we have to do evacuations or even shelter-in-place."

Mayor Karen Bass said her chief concern was for the public's safety and health.

"We're not concerned in terms of the fire spreading or anything like that. But we are concerned about the biohazard smoke. No smoke is good, but especially the smoke that could be toxic because of the chemicals that were needed to keep the food frozen in the facility," Bass said.

Two shelters have been established for residents who have been affected by the fire. One of the locations is at Pecan Recreation Center, which is located at 145 S. Pecan Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033 and the second is at City Terrace Park, which is located at 1126 N. Hazard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90063. 

During Monday's news conference, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado spoke about a series of steps that she had taken to fight for residents living in the impacted areas. 

"Unbelievably, this fire has been burning since last Wednesday, and I want to be very clear that this crisis is not over," Jurado said. "While the emergency response continues, we cannot lose sight of what residents are experiencing."

She said that her office has helped distribute thousands of masks and air purifiers and connect residents with smoke relief resources. 

"We still need answers. ... We still do not have clear enough information about what burned and what may still be burning and what is in the air and what is in the ash and what risks remain," Jurado said. "They deserve the basic right to know what is in the air. ... They're just asking to know what the risks are so they can make the right decisions for their families and for their own health."

She demanded that testing results from AQMD be released in plain language in both English and Spanish. Additionally she said that she had a planned set of legislation to propose during City Council meetings this week, which are all focused on answers, accountability and immediate relief.

LAUSD relocates schools due to fire

Monday is the first day of summer school for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Citing air quality concerns, the LAUSD has relocated students in the Boyle Heights area to different campuses.

Dean Elementary and Dacotah Early Education Center students will be moved to Sunrise Elementary at 2821 E. 7th St., Los Angeles, 90023

Eastman Early Education Center will relocate to Humphreys Elementary at 500 S. Humphreys Ave., Los Angeles, 90022

Stevenson Middle School students will report to Belvedere Middle School at 312 N. Record Ave., Los Angeles, 90063

"At all surrounding sites, all activities will take place indoors to support the health and safety of students and staff," the district said. "We will continue to closely monitor conditions and work with Los Angeles Unified Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Air Quality Management District (AQMD), and public safety partners."

Newsom, Bass issue emergency declaration for resources

On Saturday night, the mayor and Gov. Gavin Newsom issued emergency declarations, citing the scale and complexity of the incident.

The declaration is intended to provide the city with greater flexibility to coordinate emergency response efforts, secure additional resources, conduct environmental remediation, and seek state and federal assistance. 

"While the LAFD continues making progress, this is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident. I'm issuing an emergency declaration to ensure the City has the resources it needs as this operation continues and to keep the community safe," said Mayor Bass. "The City and County have opened spaces for families seeking relief from the smoke, and we will continue working around the clock and doing everything possible to put this fire out completely."

During Saturday afternoon's news conference, Bass said that the joint state of emergency was filed with Newsom's office.

She said that the Emergency Operations Center has been activated and that they've asked Newsom to waive regulations that could hinder response and recovery efforts, and that recovery assistance be made available through the state.

"We basically told the governor that we will be in touch from the county and the city in terms of ongoing requests for mutual aid as well as monetary assistance so that we can get this job done," Bass said. "Our concern, obviously, is putting out the fire, but to learn what was in this storage center ... really presents an entirely different picture."

Gov. Newsom's office shared a statement regarding the emergency proclamation late Sunday night, which they said would enable the state to further support the ongoing local response.

"California is mobilizing to support Los Angeles as firefighters and emergency personnel continue their work to contain this fire and protect surrounding communities," Newsom's statement said. "While local officials continue to lead this response, the State of California is prepared to help safeguard public health, support emergency operations, and assist impacted residents. We are coordinating closely with our local partners, deploying specialized expertise, and pre-positioning critical supplies so communities have the support they need both now and throughout recovery."

Among the resources being deployed to Los Angeles were 5.5 million N95 respirator masks, commercial-grade air purifiers for evacuation centers, bottled water and emergency supplies and additional air quality monitoring equipment.

Additionally, California Office of Emergency Services Fire and Rescue Branch leaders with "specialized technical expertise" are en route to work with local officials to provide consultation on suppression strategies and operational considerations, according to the release.

Road closures in Boyle Heights 

The LAFD has closed several intersections as crews continue operations at the Palos Fire incident. 

Street closures:

• Union Pacific Street & Calzona Street 
• Union Pacific Street & Indiana Street 
• Noakes Street & Calzona Street 
• Noakes Street & Indiana Street  
• Commercial Vehicles will be allowed East and West on Noakes Street during the Palos Fire Incident  

Officials are urging drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes whenever possible. The LAFD said reducing traffic congestion around the area will help ensure firefighters, emergency vehicles and utility crews can safely access the scene. 

Traffic control points:

• Olympic Bl & Los Palos Street (No Southbound Traffic, RESIDENTS North of Union Pacific OK) 
• Olympic Bl & Prado Street (No Southbound Traffic, RESIDENTS North of Union Pacific OK) 
• Olympic Bl & La Puerta Street (No Southbound Traffic, RESIDENTS North of Union Pacific OK) 
• Olympic Bl & Indiana Street (No Southbound Traffic, RESIDENTS North of Union Pacific OK) 
• Olympic Bl & S. Alma Ave (No Southbound Traffic, RESIDENTS North of Union Pacific OK) 
• Mirasol Street & Union Pacific (No Eastbound Traffic, North and South OK) 
• Mirasol Street & Noakes Street (No Eastbound Traffic, North and South OK)   

LA County traffic control points:

• Hicks Ave & Union Pacific (No West Bound Traffic)
• Hick Ave & Noakes (No West Bound Traffic, Commercial Vehicles for Business OK)