A South Coast Air Quality Management District board hearing Wednesday will takeup a request for an abatement order against Lineage Logistics in response to the fire at its Boyle Heights cold storage warehouse.
Lineage Logistics announced Tuesday it expects to spend between $80 million and $100 million on cleanup efforts and will provide more details on its cleanup and odor mitigation plans at the hearing at the district’s headquarters in Diamond Bar.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote company shareholders Tuesday, accusing Lineage Logistics of falling short in its response to the fire.
“Multiple government agencies have served Lineage notices of violation relating to public health and safety,” Bass wrote Tuesday. “Residents, public agencies and elected officials have repeatedly sought timely information regarding the cleanup, remediation, environmental monitoring, and recovery.
“Too often, those requests have been met with delayed communication, limited transparency, and insufficient public engagement. Rather than demonstrating urgency equal to the scale of the disaster, the company’s response has too often been a combination of delayed and inaccurate information that has kept government officials and the public in the dark as to Lineage’s progress in removing the millions of pounds of rotting food and eliminating the putrid odors and fly infestation suffocating the Boyle Heights community.”
Lineage Logistics said in a statement Tuesday it “has consistently and transparently reported on its progress through the Boyle Heights Unified Recovery Command” and has “prioritized transparency and open communication with the public, providing frequent, bilingual updates via dedicated website and social media channels as well as direct channels like email, a bilingual phone line, and online request form for community members to ask questions and share concerns.”
Lineage Logistics announced Monday approximately 80% of the food waste has been removed from the warehouse and has set a goal of completing bulk food waste removal from the site next week. Cleanup began July 7.
Work was continuing around the clock to accelerate the cleanup, reduce odors, protect public health and provide direct assistance to impacted residents, according to the company.
The fire broke out June 17 at the warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St., sending thick smoke into the air and prompting officials to warn nearby residents to remain indoors. The city, county and state issued local emergency declarations in the days that followed. It took more than a week to fully douse the fire.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health investigators reviewed the warehouse on July 15. The official inspection report identified violations that remained outstanding after re-inspection. Inspectors found an accumulation of decaying organic waste, wastewater and food residue in two different freezers, as well as live and dead flies in various locations of the warehouse.
They also found 20 or more fly larvae on the exterior plastic sheeting along the northern perimeter wall, on the nearby sidewalk and on the street along Union Pacific Avenue.
The county has ordered Lineage Logistics to do the following:
— Remove and properly dispose of all fire-damaged food, putrescible waste, and other decomposing organic materials from the property in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations;
— Eliminate all actual and potential fly breeding sources, including accumulations of organic debris, contaminated liquids, and any other materials capable of supporting fly development;
— Thoroughly clean and sanitize all affected areas to remove residues that may attract or support flies and other vectors;
— Implement effective vector control measures, including treatment of active breeding areas by a licensed pest control operator; and
— Take all necessary measures to prevent flies originating from the property from migrating to neighboring properties or creating an ongoing public health nuisance.
Public health officials said they were monitoring corrective actions and conducting regular inspections to verify compliance. The department also issued a directive to Lineage on June 29 that requires mitigation efforts in the impacted communities related to the facility fire and subsequent decaying food waste.
The department announced last week it would increase financial penalties from $500 for each citation to up to $2,000 per day for ongoing public health violations at the site.