The deadline for the removal of food waste from the fire-damaged Lineage Logistics warehouse in Boyle Heights is Friday, with the company reporting this week that about 92% of the bulk food waste has been removed.
Mayor Karen Bass and other officials are scheduled to hold a public forum at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Lou Costello Recreation Center in Boyle Heights to provide residents with an update on the warehouse cleanup, discuss resources available to affected residents and businesses and outline the next steps.
Cleanup began July 7 at the cold storage facility at 1400 S. Los Palos St., where a June 17 fire burned for more than a week and left large quantities of spoiled food inside.
Lineage Logistics said earlier this week it expected to complete the removal of the bulk food waste by the end of the week.
“We continue to make meaningful progress against this massive cleanup effort every single day, and we will keep working until the job is done,” Jeff Rivera, Lineage Logistics’ chief operating officer, said in a statement released Tuesday.
The company has pledged to spend between $80 million and $100 million on cleanup efforts.
The cleanup has generated thousands of odor complaints from surrounding neighborhoods and concerns about flies, rats and other pests.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said it received more than 4,200 odor complaints related to the warehouse between July 12 and Aug. 5 and issued 25 notices of violations to Lineage.
A South Coast AQMD hearing board last week unanimously approved a modified abatement order requiring the company to implement additional odor-control measures during the cleanup.
Lineage said it has distributed hundreds of fly traps to residents, while the Orkin pest control service is installing 576 traps in public spaces in the surrounding neighborhood.
The company also said Tuesday it had contacted 87% of residents closest to the warehouse and would continue attempts to reach the remaining households.
The fire sent thick smoke into the air and prompted officials to advise nearby residents to remain indoors. The city, county and state issued local emergency declarations in the days following the blaze.
The fire and its aftermath also prompted state lawmakers this week to announce proposed legislation aimed at increasing penalties and imposing additional requirements on cold storage facilities.
Assemblyman Mark González, D-Los Angeles, is seeking to require contingency funds for new cold storage facilities in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, while Sen. MarÃa Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, is proposing increased fines for public health violations at such facilities.