A massive fire at a cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, ignited on Wednesday, June 17, 2024, and continued to burn for several days, prompting emergency declarations and air quality advisories.
Incident Overview
- Location: A 500,000-square-foot commercial building at 1400 South Los Palos Street in Boyle Heights.
- Operator: Lineage Logistics, the tenant-operator of the facility.
- Fire Origin: The fire is believed to have started on the roof. Lineage Logistics stated the fire likely began during testing of the solar array by third-party contractors. The official cause remains under investigation.
- Contents: The facility stored approximately 85 million pounds (38.6 million kg) of frozen food, including seafood, pork, beef, and poultry.
Firefighting Efforts
Firefighters faced significant challenges in extinguishing the blaze due to the building's construction and contents.
- The building's insulated ceilings, roofs, and walls, along with dense foam insulation, prevented rapid extinguishment.
- Corrugated steel walls contain dense foam that burns slowly and emits gases.
- Structural instability, including collapsed roof supports resting on tall interior rack shelving (up to 65 feet high and 650 feet long), prevented firefighters from entering the building.
- Fire crews removed sections of exterior walls and applied heavy water streams from outside.
- Helicopters were deployed for water drops.
Hazardous Materials
- Ammonia used as a refrigerant in the facility was mitigated by hazardous materials crews.
- The building housed approximately 60 lithium-ion battery-powered forklifts; 56 of these were moved or isolated from the flames.
- Biohazards from the spoiling frozen food were a concern, but officials reported that the temperature was stabilized and the threat was eliminated.
- Air monitoring has not detected additional toxic chemicals beyond those typical of structure fire smoke.
Emergency Declarations
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom jointly declared a state of emergency on Saturday, June 20.
- The declaration activates the city's emergency response structure, directs departments to assess damages and costs, and requests state assistance.
"A local state of emergency was declared by city and state officials, and air quality advisories were issued for the surrounding area."
Air Quality and Health Impacts
- The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a particle pollution advisory through Monday afternoon at the earliest.
- Air quality levels in parts of Los Angeles County ranged from "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "very unhealthy" over the weekend.
- A temporary EPA sensor near the fire recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 621, classified as "hazardous," on Monday evening. By Tuesday, the AQI at the same sensor dropped to 66.
- Smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that can penetrate deep into the lungs.
- Health officials advised residents to monitor the AQI, avoid outdoor activity if possible, keep windows and doors closed, and use N95 or P100 masks when going outside.
- Sensitive individuals, including those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, were urged to take precautions.
Community and School Impacts
- Several schools temporarily relocated due to ongoing smoke and fumes, including Dena Elementary, Dacotah Early Education Center, Eastman Early Education Center, and Stevenson Middle School.
- A shelter-in-place order was issued and later lifted.
- Two shelter locations were opened for affected residents: Pecan Rec Center and City Terrace Park.
- Street closures and traffic restrictions were implemented near the fire site.
- Cleanup operations began after the fire was contained, with dump trucks removing waste and crews addressing the smell from rotting food and runoff water.
- The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will assist with cleanup and recovery, including responding to vermin complaints and ensuring proper disposal of spoiled food.
Statements from Officials
- Fire Chief Jaime Moore stated that if progress continues, the fire should be completely extinguished by the end of the week.
- Fire officials expect to hand the building back to the tenant, Lineage, and the owner on Friday.
- Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, representing Boyle Heights, stated that residents want to know what materials and chemicals are burning and requested that air quality results be released in English and Spanish with clear language.
Corporate Response
- Lineage Logistics committed $2 million to the California Community Foundation to assist affected residents and businesses.
- The company stated it is cooperating with fire officials investigating the blaze.