Rebuild permit filed for fire-destroyed Boyle Heights warehouse

A building permit has been filed with city of Los Angeles for the Boyle Heights cold storage facility which recently burned to the ground in an eight-day fire.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said in an Instagram post today, "It's outrageous that Lineage is seeking permits to rebuild while the disaster it created has not even been cleaned up… At this time, I have no intention of supporting Lineage rebuilding at this site."

The permit application requests fire damage repair and restoration, for like replacement of the damaged structure at 1400 Los Palos Street, with no change to the building size, use or occupancy.  

Cleanup is ongoing at the 500,000 square-foot Lineage warehouse, where 85 million pounds of food lay rotting after the blaze. Residents in the area were first affected by smoke from the long-lasting fire, followed by the effects of rotting food, including putrid smells, and rodent and fly infestations.

Community members voiced their concerns earlier this month at a town hall meeting with Lineage and city representatives, calling for the warehouse to shut down indefinitely.

Lineage responded with millions of dollars in contributions, housing vouchers, air purifiers, air conditioners, masks, grocery vouchers, cash assistance and utility support, according to the company.

The company said earlier it is committed to a 45-day cleanup schedule, imposed on June 29 by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

"We are moving as fast and as safely as we can, and we will not stop until this community can move forward," Lineage wrote in a statement. On July 25, Lineage said nearly half of the food waste has been removed. 

"Wrong priority. Boyle Heights and East LA needed answers, resources, and cleanup weeks ago. We're still waiting," Jurado wrote today on Instagram in regards to the permit application.