Fire crews moved closer to extinguishing the long-burning Lineage cold-storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights Wednesday after eliminating flames on the roof overnight, allowing firefighters to focus on smoldering hot spots inside the damaged structure.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials said water-dropping helicopters were no longer needed because fire on the roof of the roughly 491,000-square-foot warehouse had been extinguished. Crews were concentrating on remaining pockets of fire inside the building while continuing to battle the blaze from the exterior.
Firefighters remain unable to enter the structure because of safety concerns, including unstable storage racks, a compromised roof and millions of pounds of food stored inside the warehouse. Instead, crews are using high-capacity water streams, drones and heavy equipment to locate and extinguish hot spots.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore told reporters Monday he was hoping to have the fire extinguished and to be able to turn control of the warehouse back to Lineage by Friday.
“I know it’s very ambitious, considering what’s happened in the past, but that’s what my goal is and that’s what we’re working towards,” Moore said.
Lineage Logistics officials issued a statement Monday evening saying the company was “grateful and encouraged by the news from the Los Angeles Fire Department that, while things can always change, they are looking to extinguish the fire in days and turn over the building to the owner and our company for clean up as early as Friday.”
“The bravery and expertise we have seen from the firefighters of the LAFD is nothing less than extraordinary.
“As we remain committed to doing everything we can to help firefighters and the community, we want to be clear that this fire was not caused by our operations or our team. Lineage is the tenant-operator of the building, not the owner.
“We believe the fire started on the roof when the owner of the solar array, Altus Power, was doing tests. The solar array does not power the building directly but provides power into the city power grid. As we step up for the community, we are also urging Altus to join us getting the Boyle Heights community the support they desperately need.”
Altus issued a statement insisting that the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“Our first concern is for the residents of Boyle Heights, everyone affected by this fire, and for the firefighters working to contain it,” according to the company. “The cause of the fire where our rooftop solar array is located at the Los Palos Street facility has yet to be determined. We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they investigate.”
The warehouse erupted in fire about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and while crews initially believed they had contained the blaze — in part through the rare use of water-dropping helicopters on a structure fire — pockets of fire continued to burn inside the structure.
Moore said fire activity in the structure decreased throughout the day on Monday, as firefighters poured roughly 12,000 gallons of water per minute into the structure, which was storing millions of pounds of food.
As the fire has continued burning, air quality concerns have persisted for large swaths of Los Angeles, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and South Coast Air Quality Management District have not detected anything beyond normal combustible material typical after a fire, authorities said.
A special Particle Pollution Advisory issued by the AQMD was extended until at least 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
County health officials on Monday urged residents impacted by the smoke to take precautions, such as staying indoors, keeping windows and doors closed, limiting activities outdoors and wearing a high-quality face mask while outside.
Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents the 14th Council District, which includes Boyle Heights, said Sunday officials were handing out hundreds of air purifiers and masks. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said the county was also working to distribute purifiers and masks.
Additional resources were being put in place at the warehouse after Gov. Gavin Newsom, Bass and Solis each issued emergency declarations to support the ongoing fire fight.
Two shelter locations were opened to support anyone affected by the fire: a city facility at the Pecan Recreation Center and a county location at City Terrace Park. The Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA also opened an emergency shelter at its facility where it is also distributing masks.