The operator of the cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights that burned for nearly a week filed for a permit to rebuild the structure as residents in the area raise concerns about odors and pests drawn to the shell of the building.
The 500K SF warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St. is operated by Michigan-based Lineage Logistics. The structure caught fire in June and spewed toxic emissions into the air as refrigerants in the facility vaporized, drawing emergency declarations from elected officials.
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More than a month later, area residents are again asking for government action, this time a mandatory evacuation.
The residents say the air around the Boyle Heights site is now thick with the stench of rotting meat that was stored in the warehouse, bringing swarms of large flies to the neighborhood, local television station NBC4 reported.
Local air regulators have received almost 1,000 complaints about the smell emanating from what's left of the facility, and rats are also an issue, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cited Lineage for unsanitary and nuisance conditions over the weekend. It is fining the company $500 per day until the conditions are resolved, according to NBC4.
A mandatory evacuation would unlock a host of possible resources for residents, including allowing homeowners to potentially tap into insurance to temporarily relocate, community advocates say.
It's unclear whether that declaration is coming and who would make it. According to LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the area, only the city could declare an evacuation because the warehouse is located within city limits.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that Boyle Heights residents deserve a full cleanup as safely and quickly as possible.
"Under my Emergency Executive Order, Lineage is required to remove all spoiled food from the facility by August 14. If Lineage fails to meet this deadline, the City will use every available tool, including legal action, to ensure the company fulfills its responsibility to this community," Bass said.
The importance of a speedy and comprehensive cleanup was underscored Tuesday when Lineage filed a permit to rebuild its warehouse to its "original, pre-fire condition."
"I can’t believe [Lineage] would even think about starting the rebuilding process while they haven’t cleaned up the mess they’ve created,” Bass said in a statement to the LA Times.
On its website dedicated to fire response, Lineage said as of July 25, all food in the burned part of the facility has been moved off-site. Crews are power-washing and cleaning the facility's concrete slab.
Odor-control measures have been implemented at the site, including spraying down waste on-site with odor neutralizer multiple times a day and wrapping up parts of the building to keep odors contained inside, Lineage said.
But neighbors say it's not enough.
“We can’t run away from it, it’s all around us,” a Boyle Heights resident told the LA Times, speaking about the odors from the site. “It smells so bad, you don’t even want to have breakfast.”
Other Lineage warehouses have caught fire in the last few years. In 2024, a similar cold storage facility caught fire in Finley, Washington, and burned for two months. A year after the fire, residents said they were still experiencing adverse health effects. Lineage made a net gain of $107M from insurance reimbursements from the blaze.
The trend of ever-larger warehouses and the incorporation of refrigeration can intensify warehouse fires and make them more difficult to extinguish, Bisnow reported earlier this month.
UPDATE, JULY 29, 11:38 A.M. PT: This story has been updated with details about Lineage's plans to rebuild its warehouse.
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