Planned demolition work was halted Friday at the fire-damaged Lineage Logistics cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, with the company that owns the solar array on top of the building citing concerns about preserving evidence amid the ongoing investigation into the cause of the massive fire.
“Lineage was prepared and permitted to begin demolition work on the Los Palos site this morning, consistent with your Emergency Executive Orders and County Public Health Directive of June 29,” Lineage officials wrote in a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and County Supervisor Hilda Solis on Friday.
“Our work is staged and debris is pre-treated and ready to move. LAFD’s investigators have confirmed they do not require us to halt this work. Demolition is required to address flare ups and extinguish the fire once and for all.
“Last night, on the eve of a federal holiday, Altus Power — the owner of the rooftop solar array whose equipment is suspected of starting the fire and who has publicly committed to making the Boyle Heights residents its `first concern’ — sent correspondence demanding that we stop demolition of the site. The work we planned does not affect the suspected area of origin or materials potentially relevant to evidence preservation or further investigation,” the Lineage letter continued.
“This is unacceptable. Public safety is our number one priority, and every hour of delay is an hour we can’t mitigate against active fire flare ups, remove debris, address the smell, or clean up the site for the people of Boyle Heights.
“Unlike Altus and other involved parties, Lineage has been on the front lines since day one, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to execute a safe and swift remediation effort,” the company added.
Altus Power representatives fired back with a statement of their own.
“Our first concern is for the community affected by this fire, and we continue to cooperate fully with local officials in their ongoing investigation,” the company said.
“The cause of this fire and resulting damage, including Lineage’s role, has not yet been determined and in the last 24 hours multiple parties joined in asking Lineage to appropriately preserve and not destroy relevant evidence during its site remediations. It is unfortunate that Lineage appears to be focused on pointing fingers rather than getting this community the swift clean-up and answers it deserves.”
Bass responded to Lineage, urging the company to focus on removing tons of rotted food left in the warehouse after the fire.
“I’m in receipt of your letter raising concerns about third parties seeking to delay you from cleaning up the property,” the mayor wrote. “The city has not asked and is not asking you to demolish any portion of the building that could be relevant to determining the source of the fire or other issues in any litigation among you and anyone else with an interest in the building or in any lawsuit. The city is simply urging you to continue to take all measures to eliminate any fire flare ups and remove the food waste as quickly as possible.
“No court order is preventing you from doing this and it is critical that you stay laser focused on clearing out your warehouse of your stored food waste and debris since it is that food decomposition that is causing the greatest ongoing harm to our adjacent communities.”
The fire broke out June 17 at 1400 S. Los Palos St. and raged for eight days, sending a massive amount of smoke into the atmosphere and prompting warnings for nearby residents to stay inside.
The city, county and state all issued local emergency declarations in the days following the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Lineage officials have said they believe the fire started while a subcontractor working for Altus Power, which owns the solar array on top of the building, was conducting tests on the panels.
On Friday, Bass and Solis also announced an extension of multiple community mobile health clinics this weekend and next week in partnership with community health providers for those affected by the fire.
Available health services include respiratory screenings, oxygen level checks, asthma and breathing assessments, blood pressure and basic health screenings, eye and skin irritation evaluations, health education on smoke exposure, mental health support, care navigation and referrals and connection to ongoing primary care.
No appointments are necessary.
The St. John’s Community Health Mobile Clinic Schedule for this weekend is as follows:
— July 4-5, Lou Costello Jr. Recreation Center, 3141 E. Olympic Blvd., 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
— July 6-8, Ruben Salazar Park, 3864 Whittier Blvd., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
After this weekend, the Lou Costello Jr. Recreation Center will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until further notice. This center serves as a centralized location where residents and businesses of Boyle Heights and nearby communities can obtain air purifiers, food kits, financial assistance, help transitioning to a new job, receive health services, and access to various recovery resources and city and county programs.
The city shelter at Pecan Recreation Center, 145 S. Pecan St., has transitioned to day-time use only and has returned to regular youth programming. Residents are welcome to use the center during the day for refuge and to connect with available resources. Pets are welcome.