Air quality concerns remained Thursday as the Los Angeles Fire Department continued efforts to fully extinguish a fire that erupted at a cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights.
The fire was reported shortly after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lineage cold storage in the 1400 block of South Los Palos Street, and the firefight involved dozens of helicopter water drops, a tactic rarely used outside wildfire incidents, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
According to the fire department, crews were conducting extended overhaul operations and chasing hot spots at the site, although officials lifted the shelter-in-place order for residents in the area.
A Particle Pollution Advisory issued at 5 p.m. Wednesday by the South Coast Air Quality Management District was set to expire at 10 a.m. Thursday but was extended through 12:30 p.m. Friday.
“Due to sustained smoke impacts in the nearby community, South Coast AQMD continues to review particulate matter data from our regional air monitors as well as local air quality sensor networks,” according to an agency release.
The LAFD said hazardous materials specialists continued monitoring air quality at and around the scene of the fire and had detected no elevated contaminant levels or hazardous conditions.
After breaking out, the fire rapidly spread across solar panels on the roof of the sprawling warehouse while an ammonia leak developed inside the building and thick smoke billowed into the air, prompting shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents and businesses.
“Smoldering material may continue to affect air quality directly downwind; cooler smoke plumes may not rise as high, leading to ground-level visibility issues and possible ash deposition,” the SCAQMD advised.
Residents with respiratory conditions or other health concerns were advised to wear masks and keep doors and windows closed, limiting exposure to outdoor air whenever possible for themselves and their pets.
The blaze was initially reported to be primarily burning on the solar panels covering the roof of the 491,000-square-foot structure, and crews appeared to quickly gain the upper hand on the flames. But firefighters then reported an ammonia leak inside the building, and several small explosions were reported, reinvigorating the flames and sending a thick plume of black smoke into the air visible for miles.
The intensity of the flames and heightened danger posed by the ammonia leak forced LAFD crews to pull away from the structure and assume a defensive posture, pouring water on the building from the exterior.
As the fire spread, LAFD hose lines were unable to reach parts of the blaze, so three water-dropping helicopters were brought in to help halt the flames, dumping thousands of gallons of water onto the building.
A shelter-in-place order was issued for a wide area near the warehouse as dark smoke blanketed the neighborhood. The order affected an area south of the 101 Freeway to roughly Washington Boulevard, and east of Soto Street to Indiana Street on the west side. Residents were advised to remain indoors, close all windows and doors and turn off air conditioning and heating units.
As the smoke continued spreading, shelter-in-place advisories were issued for residents across an even wider area stretching through East Los Angeles, Vernon and into Commerce. Residents with health issues were particularly urged to remain indoors.
LAFD Chief Jaime Moore said the leaking ammonia was not dangerous unless people have respiratory or other health conditions. He called it a “very unique” situation for crews to use water-dropping helicopters for a structure fire, but the size of the warehouse necessitated the aerial operation.
Moore said he has been with the LAFD for 31 years, and it was only the second time he could recall aerial water drops being used to battle a structure fire. The previous incident occurred about six years ago in Echo Park.
The Los Angeles Police Department went on a citywide tactical alert in response to the fire, allowing the agency to keep officers on duty beyond their normal shifts to address public safety concerns.
About 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, fire officials reported that the spread of the flames on the roof had been halted.
No injuries were reported. It was unclear what sparked the blaze.
The solar panels on the same building also caught fire in August 2024, but LAFD crews were able to douse that blaze in less than an hour with no injuries.
According to the Lineage website, the facility offers cold storage, customs brokerage, drayage and blast freezing. The facility “is built to handle high-volume inventory and streamline … global cold chain from production floor to international delivery.”