Concerns over air quality remain in Boyle Heights after cold storage facility erupted in flames

Residents in Boyle Heights are concerned about the air quality in their community after a solar-paneled commercial warehouse building erupted into flames on Wednesday afternoon.

The large blaze quickly prompted officials to order a temporary shelter-in-place order in the neighboring areas of the 1400 block of S. Los Palos Street. That order was lifted a few hours later, but residents remain worried about the effects the fire could have on their health and well-being.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District sent an inspector to the scene yesterday to monitor the particulate matter after thick black smoke and flames filled the area. They urged anyone who could see or smell smoke from the fire to remain inside, close their doors and windows and run air purifiers if possible.

CBS LA has reached out to the South Coast AQMD for an update on their efforts and air quality conditions.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the 500,000-square-foot food product storage facility around 2:35 p.m., and, by 6 p.m., they had stopped the fire's forward progress.

Initially, crews attempted to battle the blaze from the roof but transitioned into defensive mode and moved off the roof. Several water-dropping helicopters were used during the firefight to help ground crews who were trying to extinguish flames with aerial ladders.

Fire officials believe that leaking ammonia could have helped fuel the fire.

"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."

They said that ammonia in itself isn't dangerous, but could cause irritation for people who are exposed to the chemical compound

Moore also noted the danger that comes with solar panel fires, as they generate electricity even when power is shut off. Because of the compromised panels, which he said caused the fire "spreading almost like a wildfire," LAFD incident commanders decided to call in water-dropping aircraft. Because of this, crews said they were able to stop the flames from spreading into the building's interior.

Dr. Elaine Bernal, Cal State Long Beach Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said residents should be paying attention to air quality monitoring results that AQMD will release. Reports on the monitoring of particulate matter, Volatile Organic Compounds, heavy metals, and ammonia that leaked will be released over the next few days.

The building is a large-scale logistics facility called Lineage, and according to its website, "Lineage's Los Palos facility offers cold storage, customs brokerage, drayage, and intermodal services."

Lineage issued the following statement upon request:

"Lineage's top priority is the health and safety of our employees, partners, and the communities in which we live and operate. We are aware of the incident and 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. 

Local officials respond to fire

Los Angeles city leaders also shared public statements as the situation continued to develop on Wednesday. Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, whose district covers Boyle Heights, said that her office was closely monitoring the incident.

"We know how frightening it is to see heavy smoke in your neighborhood, especially for families, workers, small businesses and commuters who are trying to understand what is happening and how to stay safe," Jurado said. "Right now, the most important thing is to follow the shelter-in-place order that has been issued because of the smoke."

Mayor Karen Bass and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis shared similar statements urging residents to stay inside and avoid unnecessary travel.

Union Pacific officials said that while they were monitoring the situation, their nearby railroad tracks were not impacted by the fire and that their day-to-day operations continued as normal.

Wednesday's blaze is one of three notable warehouse fires to occur in California in about month's time after the Kimberly Clark paper goods warehouse in Ontario was allegedly set on fire by an arsonist in April, and the Medline Industries warehouse in Tracy was destroyed last week.