Boyle Heights warehouse fire: Emergency declared over 85-million pound biohazard threat

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles officials are urging the public to limit outdoor exposure as a complex warehouse fire continues to smolder in Boyle Heights.

With 85 million pounds of frozen food spoiling inside the facility, city and county leaders on Saturday declared a joint local emergency to prevent a major biohazard and environmental crisis.

What we know:

The blaze broke out shortly after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at a 491,000-square-foot commercial cold storage facility operated by Lineage Logistics at 1400 S. Los Palos St. 

The fire rapidly spread across solar panels on the roof, and an initial ammonia leak forced firefighters into a defensive posture.

Firefighters have since completely mitigated the hazardous chemical threat by shutting down valves and pumping the ammonia off-site.

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However, the building's refrigeration has been turned off, leaving 85 million pounds of meat, fish, and wheat products to spoil.

Because the fire is burning deep beneath structural debris and solar panels, crews are using unprecedented tactics for a structure fire, including continuous water drops from at least three helicopters alongside massive ground-level ladder pipes. 

No injuries have been reported.

Two 24-hour respite shelters have been opened to support affected residents:

• Pecan Rec Center (145 S. Pecan St.
• City Terrace Park (1126 N. Hazard Ave.)

Pets are welcome at these sites on leashes or in kennels.

Local perspective:

 Mayor Karen Bass has issued a Declaration of Local Emergency due to the fire, which continues to send a large amount of smoke into the atmosphere.

What we don't know:

Officials have stated that this will be an "extended event," but the exact timeline for when the fire will be fully extinguished remains unknown. 

Additionally, authorities are still evaluating the precise logistics of how they will safely enter the zero-visibility structure to remove and dispose of the thousands of tons of rotting food.

What they're saying:

"The good news is, all of our air monitoring that has been done by our department, Hazmat, LA County Hazmat, as well as AQMD, has shown that there are no additional toxic chemicals or hazards within that smoke other than normal structure fire smoke," LAFD Capt. Branden Silverman said. "That said, no smoke is good smoke. We know that people are being affected by this in our city as well as LA County's jurisdiction, and we do want you to take precautions to avoid that smoke whenever possible."

"The food's not savable, unfortunately," LAFD Chief Jaime Moore said during a Saturday press conference. "What we're dealing with now is 85 million pounds of food that's about to go bad and to spoil... It's a biohazard emergency and that's why we've called out to the state."

"As this operation continues, I want to ask people, when they can, to please stay inside," Mayor Bass said. "Keep your pets inside. And if you need to go outside for any reason, please wear a mask. We know this is concerning. This is inconvenient. But we are doing everything we can to end this as soon as possible, and we want everybody to be safe in the meantime."

What's next:

Following Mayor Bass's local emergency declaration, county and city leaders are continuing to coordinate a joint response, moving to request immediate state funding and resources from Governor Gavin Newsom's office. 

This assistance will help fund the massive cleanup operation, offset the costs of continuous emergency personnel, and provide financial assistance to impacted residents and local businesses.

Fire operations will continue around the clock, and residents can expect to see ongoing smoke and emergency vehicle activity.

What you can do:

Residents living near the smoke plume are advised to stay indoors, close all windows and doors, and set HVAC units to recirculate indoor air rather than pulling air from the outside. 

If you must go outside, wear a well-fitting N95 or P100 mask.

To sign up for emergency notifications or find information on shelter transportation, visit AlertLA.org or call 211. 

If you notice unusual or foul odors indoors or outdoors, report them directly to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) at 1-800-288-7664. 

Unincorporated East Los Angeles residents seeking direct assistance can contact Supervisor Solis’s office at 323-881-4601.