More than 80% of Boyle Heights residents surveyed by Los Angeles County public health officials after the June warehouse fire reported persistent, strong odors from the site, while nearly three-quarters expressed concerns about health symptoms, according to survey results released Monday.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it conducted door-to-door outreach July 15-16 in the neighborhood surrounding the Lineage Logistics cold-storage warehouse, where a June 17 fire left tons of food to rot, creating odors and attracting flies, rodents and other pests.
Of the 240 households that completed the survey, 82% reported very strong odors over the previous week, while 90% said the odors were constant. Nearly 60% said the odors lasted more than 12 hours at a time.
According to the survey, 85% of respondents expressed concerns about air quality, 74% reported concerns about health symptoms and 31% were worried about access to medical care.
Residents also reported a noticeable increase in pests, with 84% reporting more pests overall, including 76% who cited an increase in flies, 40% who reported more mosquitoes and 35% who reported more rodents.
Public health workers visited 650 households in the affected area, distributing 298 air purifiers, 3,880 N95 masks and resource packets to more than 600 households. Officials said 119 households requested follow-up assistance.
The survey was conducted after Public Health issued a June 29 directive requiring Lineage Logistics to implement odor mitigation, pest control and temporary relocation assistance for affected residents.
Last week, county health officials cited Lineage for unsanitary and nuisance conditions at the warehouse after inspectors found decaying organic waste, wastewater, food residue and evidence of flies and fly larvae at the site. The company faces fines of up to $500 per day until the violations are corrected.
On Saturday, Lineage said nearly half of the food waste had been removed from the property and that cleanup crews had begun scraping and power washing the concrete slab. The company said demolition of the remaining burned structure is expected to be largely completed in the coming days, although removing portions of the building could temporarily increase odors despite additional odor-control measures.
The fire broke out June 17 at the warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St., sending thick smoke over Boyle Heights and prompting local emergency declarations by city, county and state officials. The blaze took more than a week to fully extinguish.
The cause remains under investigation. Lineage has said it believes the fire started while a subcontractor for Altus Power, owner of the building’s rooftop solar array, was testing the system. Altus Power has said the cause has not been determined.
More information about the cleanup can be found at onelineage.com/boyle-heights-fire-response.