Panorama City residents face unhealthy air quality as the Boyle Heights warehouse fire enters its sixth day. LAFD Chief Jaime Moore says smoke will linger for two to three more days. Gov. Newsom declared a state of emergency.
Panorama City residents woke Monday to hazy skies and air quality warnings tied to a warehouse fire that has burned for six days in Boyle Heights. Regulators reported particle pollution levels reached and ranges for sensitive groups across central Los Angeles County, the San Gabriel Valley, and the , according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The fire at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage cold-storage facility in the 1400 block of South Los Palos Street first ignited Wednesday afternoon. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency Saturday to mobilize state resources and protect public health.
"I would anticipate this smoke for about two more days, possibly three," Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said Sunday at a news conference.
A particle pollution advisory remained in effect through Monday afternoon. Here is what officials said about the air quality impact:
Residents with unusual odors, smoke, or dust concerns were urged to report them to the air district by calling 1-800-CUT-SMOG or using the agency's online complaint system.
While the school relocations announced by the Los Angeles Unified School District focused on east side campuses near the fire, officials warned that shifting winds could affect air quality across a wide area. The district moved activities at four schools to alternate sites out of an abundance of caution:
"At all surrounding sites, all activities will take place indoors to support the health and safety of students and staff," the school district said in a statement.
The Lineage facility stores 85 million pounds of frozen food. The building's construction has made it exceptionally difficult to fight. LAFD Chief Moore described the structure as a giant cooler with corrugated steel walls filled with dense foam insulation and reinforced interior steel panels.
"Imagine your refrigerator having a fire. And so, you have the shell of the outside and the shell on the inside," Moore said.
Firefighters have split the building in half and confined the blaze to one side. They have been using 3,000-gallon water-dropping helicopters, a tactic rarely used for structure fires. Water cannons from Texas were expected to arrive Sunday to assist.
The building's refrigeration system used ammonia, which raised early health concerns. However, the building operator pumped the ammonia out of the tanks and transported it off-site. Lineage said no measurable ammonia concentrations were recorded in the community since the fire started.
Lineage Logistics, the tenant-operator of the facility, said the fire appears to have begun during work by third-party contractors on the roof.
"At this time, we believe the fire began while testing was being conducted by contractors of the third-party owner of the solar array located on the facility's roof," company spokesperson Melanie Mendoza said in a statement.
The air district detected brief spikes of bromine and chlorine during the fire. Officials said those levels were below short-term health-based exposure thresholds and not expected to cause adverse health effects. No significant levels of air toxic metals were found.
LAFD Chief Moore said crews are now focusing on accessing interior areas of the building where fire remains. Fire conditions along the exterior were largely knocked down by Monday.
"The building's construction continues to present operational challenges. Interior storage rack systems remain in place and are supporting portions of the collapsed roof, creating complex and unstable conditions that require a cautious and methodical approach," the LAFD said in a news release.
Moore said if progress continues at the current rate, the fire should be out by the end of the week. Panorama City residents were told to expect hazy conditions and intermittent smoke for the next two to three days as crews continue opening walls and concealed spaces to extinguish hidden fire.
This article was generated with AI assistance.