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Lineage warehouse fire: Neighbors vent frustrations at hearing
South Coast Air Quality Management District staff and representatives of Lineage Logistics are scheduled to make presentations Thursday on the second day of a hearing for a request for an abatement order against the company in response to the fire at its Boyle Heights cold storage warehouse.
LOS ANGELES - Lineage Logistics is facing intense pressure from local officials and local residents as a regional air quality board considers an abatement order against the company following a devastating fire at its Boyle Heights cold storage warehouse.
What we know:
A massive fire broke out on June 17 at Lineage Logistics' cold storage facility at 1400 S. Los Palos St., taking more than a week to fully douse.
The disaster prompted emergency declarations from city, county, and state officials.
Since the fire, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has received nearly 4,000 odor complaints linked to decaying organic matter.
Company officials reported that bulk food waste removal began July 7, with approximately 80% cleared so far.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- 300+ residents sue Lineage over warehouse fire
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Lineage Logistics estimates cleanup costs will reach between $80 million and $100 million.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health inspectors documented severe violations during a July 15 inspection, citing decaying food residue, wastewater, live and dead flies, and fly larvae along adjacent sidewalks and streets.
The county has since increased potential fines to $2,000 per day for ongoing public health violations.
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Residents demand accountability amid Lineage fallout
Boyle Heights residents demand accountability as complaints continue to pile up in the thousands over the ripple effects led by the Lineage warehouse fire.
What they're saying:
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged the board to approve the abatement order, calling the situation a public health crisis rather than a mere nuisance.
"Let's be clear. What the residents of Boyle Heights are facing is not just a nuisance, it is a public health crisis that requires urgent and actionable measures," Bass told the board via teleconference.
In a separate letter to company shareholders, Bass wrote, "Multiple government agencies have served Lineage notices of violation relating to public health and safety... Rather than demonstrating urgency equal to the scale of the disaster, the company's response has too often been a combination of delayed and inaccurate information that has kept government officials and the public in the dark as to Lineage's progress in removing the millions of pounds of rotting food and eliminating the putrid odors and fly infestation suffocating the Boyle Heights community."
City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado also spoke in person at the hearing to demand accountability.
"Residents should not have to file complaint after complaint to force a multibillion-dollar corporation to contain the harm that it created," Jurado said. "Lineage says conditions will improve as the cleanup progresses. But a promise that it will get better is not an abatement plan, and this community has already waited too long for relief."
Boyle Heights resident Wendy Ramirez described the severe impact on her daily life after evacuating to a motel.
"As of now, I don't feel comfortable returning home. There's still too much going on there. They're still doing cleanup. The flies are insane. They're scary. They jump on you as soon as you get off out of your care," Ramirez said. "I have to have everything sealed in my house. I can't open my door. I can't open my windows. The flow of the air can no longer come in."
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Boyle Heights resident call for evacuation order amid fly problem
Boyle Heights residents are demanding a mandatory evacuation order as tons of rotting food from a June 17 fire at the Lineage cold storage facility cause a severe stench and an explosion of dangerous flies.
Lineage Logistics maintained in a statement that it has operated transparently through the Boyle Heights Unified Recovery Command and prioritized community outreach.
"[Lineage Logistics] has consistently and transparently reported on its progress through the Boyle Heights Unified Recovery Command" and has "prioritized transparency and open communication with the public, providing frequent, bilingual updates via dedicated website and social media channels as well as direct channels like email, a bilingual phone line, and online request form for community members to ask questions and share concerns."
What's next:
The SCAQMD hearing board is expected to make a determination on the abatement request on Thursday at its Diamond Bar headquarters.
If approved, Lineage Logistics will be legally required to power wash and disinfect concrete floors in the warehouse's eastern freezer after all food waste and hazardous materials are cleared. The company stated it aims to complete bulk food waste removal by next week.
The Source: This report is based on official testimony, public comments, and documentation presented during a South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing in Diamond Bar. Information comes directly from statements made by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, affected Boyle Heights residents, and official inspection reports issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, alongside corporate updates provided by Lineage Logistics.