Boyle Heights Lineage warehouse under criminal investigation after June fire
Lineage under criminal investigation after fire
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control is investigating the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights under Mayor Karen Bass’ emergency order. Police were seen at the warehouse Tuesday as DTSC carried out a search warrant.
LOS ANGELES - An investigation is underway at the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights.
The probe is being led by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and is part of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s emergency executive order.
In a statement, Mayor Bass’s office said Tuesday: "The residents of Boyle Heights and East LA deserve environmental justice and corporate accountability. Mayor Bass has been working with many agencies to protect this community. In her emergency executive order, Mayor Bass called for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to investigate and pursue enforcement action at the Lineage warehouse. Today, DTSC was onsite with a search warrant and an investigation is ongoing."
On Tuesday morning, FOX 11’s cameras captured police walking in and out of the massive warehouse that burned for several days in June.
According to its website, DTSC aims to "protect Californians and their environment from exposure to hazardous wastes by enforcing hazardous waste laws and regulations."
What we know:
For months, rotting food plagued the area with flies, foul odor and vermin. In late August, air quality regulators confirmed that millions of pounds of rotting food had been removed from the cold-storage warehouse.
But recently, doctors have said residents are still grappling with persistent health problems following the fire.
"Patients were coming to me frequently with headaches, throat irritation and eye irritation," AltaMed’s regional medical director, Dr. David Escobar, said in September.
AltaMed data shows residents near the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire reported increased health problems from June through August 2026.
What they're saying:
On Tuesday, District Attorney’s Office police stood guard outside the warehouse. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told FOX 11 that it supported DTSC in its search warrant Tuesday at the Boyle Heights facility. A public information specialist with the District Attorney’s Office also said, "We are supporting DTSC in its ongoing investigation into the matter."
Lineage released the following statement to FOX 11 on Tuesday:
"Our industry is regulated by dozens of agencies, and we regularly work with them collaboratively and transparently.
To be clear, we do not store hazardous chemicals or products in this facility. We store food. Further, the facility’s ammonia refrigeration system was safely pumped out shortly after the fire began and before the fire reached the refrigeration system. The ammonia was subsequently removed from the site. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported no ammonia was detected during its response, and subsequent environmental monitoring has consistently shown results within normal levels for the neighborhood and no ammonia concentrations above health-based action levels. We have shared relevant testing and monitoring information on our website and with regulatory agencies and will continue to do so."