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Rats, rotting food next threat for Boyle Heights after warehouse fire
Inside the roughly 500,000-square-foot facility at 1400 S. Los Palos St. sit an estimated 85 million pounds of meat, poultry, seafood and bread. Fire officials believe nearly half burned. The rest has spoiled without refrigeration since June 17, producing an odor neighbors compare to raw food left on a kitchen counter for a week.
LOS ANGELES - The smoke is gone. The smell is worse.
Eight days after a fire tore through the Lineage cold-storage warehouse here, Los Angeles firefighters declared the blaze knocked down Wednesday.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department handed the building back to its operators, and the hard part began.
Inside the roughly 500,000-square-foot facility at 1400 S. Los Palos St. sit an estimated 85 million pounds of meat, poultry, seafood and bread.
Fire officials believe nearly half burned. The rest has spoiled without refrigeration since June 17, producing an odor neighbors compare to raw food left on a kitchen counter for a week.
The wind is now carrying that smell into surrounding communities the same way it once carried the smoke.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Fire out at Boyle Heights warehouse; air quality concerns remain
- Boyle Heights warehouse fire enters new phase as concerns shift to spoiled food, runoff'
- Boyle Heights warehouse fire: LAFD sets Friday target for full extinguishment
- Smoke from Boyle Heights fire continues to impact residents
"Once the smoke cleared, it wasn't just a smoke smell," said Rachel Murray, who lives near the facility. "It was an instant rotting smell."
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Community meeting held after Boyle Heights warehouse fire disaster
Tons of food remained spoiling in the cold-storage food warehouse more than a week after the raging fire broke out.
With the stench comes a second threat. Rats have already been spotted near the perimeter, drawn by the decay.
Jose Colon, who has lived in the neighborhood for two years, said Friday that he and his partner are leaving.
"There's a lot of rats that you see already prior to this, and now that all of this rotting meat is just rotting away, it's gonna definitely bring out the rats," he said. "We're moving out July 1. The smoke has been unbearable, the odor is unbearable, and now the rats are gonna come. It's time to get out."
He added: "I feel very sad for the people that aren't able to get out of here like us. I really, really pray that they're able to contain this situation as soon as possible."
Residents said meaningful help did not come from City Hall. It came Friday from the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA, which sent staff out after 4 p.m., timed for a working-class neighborhood where most families are not home during the day.
Workers went door to door distributing masks, air purifiers and other supplies.
Several residents told FOX 11 in English and Spanish that it was the first time anyone had come to their door since the fire began.
"Knowing that it is directly in a residential area is quite alarming," said Kassandra Sanchez, who led the outreach effort, "and so even more so of a reason for us to ensure that we are serving the community to the best of our ability."
Juan Hidalgo said his parents had relocated to a relative's home because of toxic fumes earlier in the fire. Those still in the neighborhood, he said, face a burden that is both physical and financial.
"It's a smell that's very bad to inhale, especially people who have illnesses," he said. "And you don't want rats getting inside your house. They multiply. Even if you have a cat or two, that's not going to help. It's a big headache. Financial, you know."
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Boyle Heights warehouse fire knocked down
The knockdown of the Palos Fire was declared at 5:58 p.m. Wednesday by the LAFD, meaning there were no active flames and no threat of fire spread. However, debris within the structure continues to smolder.
For families who needed more than a mask, 2-1-1 LA partnered with the nonprofit Airbnb.org to provide emergency housing. The organization said it has fielded more than 1,500 calls since the fire began and referred 200 families to housing, prioritizing seniors, children and people with respiratory conditions.
Lineage has hired Signal Restoration Services to lead the cleanup.
Asked Friday for a cleanup timeline, Lineage provided no new information, pointing instead to an earlier statement that the company is "committed to the fastest cleanup possible" and that the site stores frozen food, not hazardous materials.
For the families still living next door, that answer was not enough.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Lineage said a contractor for Altus Power was testing rooftop solar panels when the blaze started. Altus Power disputes that account, saying the cause has not been determined.
Mayor Karen Bass has vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
The Source: This report is based on direct accounts from neighborhood residents experiencing the immediate aftermath of the warehouse fire. Information regarding the fire status, facility contents, and corporate responses was obtained through official updates from the Los Angeles Fire Department, Lineage warehouse management, Altus Power, and the nonprofit housing coordinators at 2-1-1 LA.