Boyle Heights, Day 6: Smoke from warehouse fire continues to impact air quality
Angelenos scramble for air purifiers, masks
Across Boyle Heights, residents are checking for indoor air purifiers and facemasks amid the smoky air in Los Angeles from last week's warehouse fire.
LOS ANGELES - From Sunday to Monday, firefighters made significant progress as Monday marked six days since a warehouse in Boyle Heights burst into flames.
The fire at the Lineage cold storage facility broke out shortly after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, at a 491,000-square-foot commercial cold storage facility operated by Lineage Logistics at 1400 S. Los Palos St. Officials said the fire started on high-voltage solar panels, quickly spreading across what Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore described as a "solar farm" on the roof.
An initial ammonia leak forced firefighters into a defensive posture and prompted brief shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents and businesses Wednesday afternoon. Although fire officials initially halted the roof’s fire spread by 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and lifted the shelter-in-place order, changing winds reignited hot spots inside the building. By Friday, firefighters were again battling active flames.
On Monday, there were long lines of people picking up air purifiers, masks and other supplies at distribution centers set up by Los Angeles city and county offices of emergency management.
County Supervisor Hilda Solis said her staff is also canvassing the neighborhood surrounding the Lineage facility, which remains covered in a thick haze of smoke.
Some highlights:
- LAUSD moved students from schools near the fire, including Dena Elementary, to campuses farther away, including Sunrise Elementary.
- Worried parents say they still smell smoke at those schools and are concerned about their children's health.
- Dr. Muntu Davis, the county health officer, said officials have asked affected schools to keep students indoors and windows closed.
"What happens when it gets hot this week, and they can’t turn the A/C on?" asked one distraught parent, who said she may start keeping her child at home.
The South Coast AQMD has extended its particle pollution advisory eastward, beyond Riverside, through Tuesday.
Lineage issued the following statement as Monday marked Day 6 of the fire response:
"We are grateful and encouraged by the news from the Los Angeles Fire Department that, while things can always change, they are looking to extinguish the fire in days and turn over the building to the owner and our company for cleanup as early as Friday. The bravery and expertise we have seen from the firefighters of the LAFD is nothing less than extraordinary.
"There’s no doubt this fire has had a huge impact on the local community, and we are committed to showing up in every way we can. From the beginning, we have been working closely with the fire department, resulting in our sourcing and funding high-powered water cannons from elsewhere in Southern California and from Texas, and funding Chinook helicopters that are capable of continuous massive water drops.
"Critically, our team quickly removed all ammonia from the site, with no concentrations of ammonia being detected in the air at any time since the fire began.
"We’re providing air purifiers and masks to the community, and we are going to keep that going as long as they are needed. We also brought in food trucks to provide almost 1,000 meals to residents of Boyle Heights and firefighters.
"In addition, we have donated $2 million to the California Community Impact Fund, which is being used to deliver immediate support to Boyle Heights residents."