Boyle Heights shelter-in-place order still in effect as LA firefighters ventilate cold storage facility
A shelter-in-place order for parts of Boyle Heights remained in place on Friday, nearly two days after Los Angeles firefighters began battling a blaze at a cold storage facility.
The fire was initially reported at the Lineage logistics warehouse in the 14000 block of S. Los Palos Street on Wednesday afternoon as it burned across the roof of the 500,000-square-foot building, which is covered in solar panels. Los Angeles Fire Department crews said that they had contained the incident later that evening, with the help of water-dropping helicopters, lifting the initial shelter-in-place order that was issued due to the hazardous air quality from the smoke.
However, on Thursday afternoon, as crews entered the warehouse to continue mopping up the incident and ventilate the smoke, they noticed a pocket of fire still burning in a freezer container. The shelter-in-place order was reissued, impacting homes and businesses in the area south of the 101 Freeway to Washington Boulevard, east of Lorena Street and west of Indiana Street.
"It is because of the smoke. If you smell smoke in the air, it's the product of combustion just from a normal fire and then these additional hazards that were there, and have now been mitigated," said an LAFD spokesperson.
Firefighters urged people in the area to stay inside, close doors and windows and turn off their air conditioning units as the order remained in effect as of 6 a.m. Friday morning.
"The plan is evolving; it's a very complex incident with all of these hazards," the spokesperson said. "We're taking one piece at a time, trying to remove a hazard and move onto the next step. ... Eventually, we will get firefighters in there and put out all the fire."
Lineage, which said on its website that it "offers cold storage, customs brokerage, drayage, and intermodal services," shared a statement with CBS LA as the situation continued to develop on Thursday afternoon, stating that there were "no known ammonia readings from air monitoring" being conducted be LAFD officials.
"Lineage's top priority is the health and safety of our employees, partners, and the communities in which we live and operate," the statement said, in part. "We are working closely with local officials and first responder teams to assess the situation and provide support. This is an evolving matter, and we will provide updates as appropriate."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and no injuries have been reported.
LAFD firefighters were called to the Lineage facility in August 2024 when the solar panels had also caught fire, but they were able to contain that situation within an hour.
Air quality concerns linger
Air quality concerns in Boyle Heights and the surrounding area have lingered in the minds of residents since the blaze erupted and spewed a massive cloud of black smoke into the sky.
On Wednesday night at around 5 p.m., the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a Particle Pollution Advisory, which was initially supposed to expire Thursday morning. It has since been extended until at least 12:30 p.m. Friday.
"As firefighting efforts progress, smoldering material may continue to affect air quality directly downwind of the facility as these cooler smoke plumes do not rise as high into the air," an AQMD spokesperson told CBS LA on Thursday. "This smoke may lead to poor air quality in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles."
Firefighters on Wednesday said that they believed the flames were in part fueled by leaking ammonia, which is a chemical compound commonly used in commercial refrigeration.
"This is a building that's being used commercially for refrigeration of product. So, ammonia is one of the majority of the products being used with refrigeration," said LAFD Chief Jaime Moore. "We believe an ammonia line was then compromised, because we had a large, powerful stream of ammonia then coming out."
Residents who have respiratory conditions or health concerns were advised to wear masks when leaving their homes and to limit exposure to the air for themselves and their pets.
Hazardous materials specialists with LAFD and air monitoring units with AQMD were constantly on scene to monitor the air quality and fine particulate matter from the fire.
