By Austin Turner, Chelsea Hylton, Iris Salem, Dean Fioresi, Julie Sharp, Matthew Rodriguez
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LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Officials are confident that the fire at a cold storage facility can be extinguished in the near future, after about a week of the blaze creating health hazards in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights.
In a news conference on Wednesday morning, Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Jacob Raabe said crews are “very close to final extinguishment” on the blaze that started last week at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Big Bear cold storage facility at 1400 S. Los Palos Street.
“The fire chief has set a goal for us … to get this fire put out today,” Raabe said.
The LAFD said in an update Tuesday evening that smoke conditions have improved significantly and residents in the nearby area should expect better air quality in the days to come. Some smoke could remain in the area through the week, Raabe said, even after the blaze is extinguished.
Raabe on Wednesday detailed the firefighting strategy, which included knocking down exterior walls in order to reach the flames in the center of the massive building with what he called “water cannons.”
“We’re using those large volumes of water from the exterior of the building,” he said. “Half of this building has been peeled back.” When the fire is fully extinguished, the LAFD will partner with private contractors to remove the food stored inside the building. Raabe described the building as a massive “ice chest,” and said there’s more than 85 million pounds of food inside, and some has already burned or spoiled. It’s unlikely
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, Raabe said, but Lineage, the building’s tenant and operator, said that the fire may have originated from work being performed by a third-party contractor handling solar panels on the roof.
“Lineage is the tenant-operator of this building,” the company said in a statement. “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. This facility is not used for the storage of hazardous materials. It primarily serves as a temperature-controlled storage facility for frozen food before it makes its way to Greater Los Angeles area communities and beyond. Our understanding from LAFD and AQMD is that there have been no measurable ammonia concentrations recorded in the community since the fire started. Additionally, Lineage has proactively taken additional steps to pump out the ammonia and transport it offsite, removing the possibility of ammonia posing a risk to the community. This facility and the supply chain it connects with employ hundreds of local jobs. We are grateful that no team members at the facility were harmed.”
On Monday, Lineage told CBS LA that the building is owned by Chill Build Los Angeles I, LLC, and that the solar array on the building is owned by Los Palos Street Operating, LLC, which is a subsidiary of Altus Power. The building’s solar contractor is Pearce, which is a subsidiary of CBRE.
In a statement, Altus said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.
“Our first concern is for the residents of Boyle Heights, everyone affected by this fire, and for the firefighters working to contain it. The cause of the fire where our rooftop solar array is located at the Los Palos Street facility has yet to be determined,” the statement said. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they investigate.”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Particle Pollution Advisory will remain in effect until at least 12:30 p.m. Wednesday for parts of LA County. No shelter-in-place orders were in effect, but officials recommended that those in affected areas limit their exposure to the outside air and to consider wearing an N95 mask.
A spokesperson for Adventist Health White Memorial hospital in Boyle Heights told CBS LA that its emergency department has seen a moderate increase in visits related to respiratory issues since the fire began last week.
Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Boyle Heights, enabling state resources to be used.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency proclamation as well to expand community support, environmental monitoring and business recovery assistance. The emergency proclamation was declared by Supervisor Hilda Solis, who said that thousands of air purifiers and masks have been distributed to residents impacted by fire and smoke.
LAUSD relocates schools due to fire Monday was the first day of summer school for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Citing air quality concerns, the LAUSD has relocated students in the Boyle Heights area to different campuses through Wednesday.
Dean Elementary and Dacotah Early Education Center students will be moved to Sunrise Elementary at 2821 E. 7th St., Los Angeles, 90023.
Eastman Early Education Center will relocate to Humphreys Elementary at 500 S. Humphreys Ave., Los Angeles, 90022.
Stevenson Middle School students will report to Belvedere Middle School at 312 N. Record Ave., Los Angeles, 90063
“At all surrounding sites, all activities will take place indoors to support the health and safety of students and staff,” the district said. “We will continue to closely monitor conditions and work with Los Angeles Unified Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Air Quality Management District (AQMD), and public safety partners.”
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