Firefighters confront flare-up at Boyle Heights warehouse
Firefighters faced new challenges Saturday as the ongoing cold storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights experienced another flare-up. Smoke conditions intensified as a large plume drifted across the area, creating challenging conditions for both emergency personnel and nearby residents. Fire officials warned that the incident could continue for several days.
By 6 a.m., a massive column of smoke could be seen rising from the facility. Firefighters remained limited to exterior operations because conditions inside the building were considered too dangerous. Crews continued to apply water from outside the structure but were unable to ventilate the building, resulting in significant smoke accumulation.
Fire Reignites Inside Cold Storage Facility
The fire intensified shortly before 2 a.m. when flames broke through the roof of the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Logistics cold storage facility. The building housed approximately 75,000 pallets of frozen food, and officials reported that 56 forklifts equipped with lithium batteries had been removed from the structure and relocated to the parking lot. Although the fire had been declared contained on Wednesday evening, it reignited after firefighters discovered a pocket of fire inside a freezer container within the building.
The Los Angeles Fire Department continued using helicopters to conduct water drops over the large industrial structure. Fire officials noted that this tactic is uncommon but was deemed appropriate due to the building's roof design, the absence of firefighters inside the structure, and the lack of an immediate threat to public safety.
"This is not normal. Fire departments around the world may wonder why we're doing this," said Bat. Chief Nicholas Ferrari of the LAFD. "The weight of a water drop could collapse a roof. But the building construction of this roof and the fact that there are no firefighters inside and no public safety risk made it an out of the box prudent choice for us to put water drops and suppress the fire on the surface of this roof."
Residents Question Long-Term Health Impacts
As suppression efforts continued, residents voiced concerns about the potential long-term environmental and health impacts on the surrounding community. Officials confirmed that the shelter-in-place order had been lifted and that no evacuations were currently in effect. A temporary smoke respite shelter remained open at City Terrace Park in East Los Angeles for affected residents.
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. Fire officials emphasized that there was no immediate threat to the public but advised nearby residents to keep windows closed and avoid using air conditioning until air quality conditions improved. Authorities cautioned that extinguishing the fire could take days or even weeks.
To view current air quality, download the South Coast AQMD app or visit www.aqmd.gov/AQImap.
