By Austin Turner, Chelsea Hylton, Dean Fioresi, Matthew Rodriguez, Iris Salem, Tina Patel
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Los Angeles Fire Department officials say the warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that sparked major concerns about air quality in the area should be extinguished in the near future.
While speaking to CBS LA on Tuesday morning, LAFD Captain Jacob Raabe said he expects the blaze to be put out “very shortly” as crews have made “significant progress” on the fire, which started last Wednesday afternoon at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Big Bear cold storage facility at 1400 S. Los Palos Street.
“We are very confident in the LAFD,” Raabe said. “We are going on day seven now, and we have a limited amount of smoke left from the remaining hot spots, and we hope to get all the remaining fire put out, stop the smoke and get everyone returning to normal.”
Raabe didn’t elaborate on whether that meant the fire could be extinguished Tuesday, Wednesday or another day, but added that air quality in East Los Angeles is currently dependent on weather patterns and could change throughout the days ahead. Crews are working to diminish the smoke as soon as possible, he said.
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.
Raabe told CBS LA that the LAFD’s strategy remained to break down the facility’s exterior walls and attack the blaze from the outside. Aerial footage Tuesday morning showed smoke plumes coming from the roof of the building as crews still worked to pour water on top.
During a news conference over the weekend, LAFD Chief Jaime Moore said the building’s configuration made the firefight a challenge.
“The best way to describe this is like a giant cooler,” Moore said on Saturday, adding that the structure was built with corrugated steel walls filled with dense foam insulation and reinforced interior steel panels.
The building also used ammonia in its refrigeration system to maintain extremely low temperatures for frozen food storage, which may have fueled the fire on its initial day of burning.
“Imagine your refrigerator having a fire. And so, you have the shell of the outside and the shell on the inside,” Moore said during a news conference on Saturday afternoon. “What protects everything from the weather, or whatever the temperature is on the outside, is the rubber. … If you can imagine, that’s exactly what’s happening here.”
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.
Residents have been voicing their concerns about the potential long-term environmental and health impacts caused by the large blaze.
“It makes me feel like, because we’re in the area we are in, and we’re lower class, that there’s just no help for us,” one Boyle Heights resident said.
AQMD officials said that after the fire’s reignition on Friday night, sensors showed that PM2.5 levels were unhealthy. They also said that “very unhealthy conditions” were measured throughout Boyle Heights on Sunday.
Lineage, the building’s tenant and operator, released a statement indicating 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.
Pearce said it is cooperating with LAFD and other agencies. They stated that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Lineage shared an updated statement on Monday afternoon to state that they are providing air purifiers and masks to community members affected by the incident, and that they would do so as long as needed. They also said that they have brought in food trucks to provide approximately 1,000 meals to Boyle Heights residents and firefighters.
“We want to be transparent with the community about what is stored in this building. This building is used to store food — meat, bread and other foods you would find at a grocery store — not hazardous materials,” the statement said, in part. “As we remain committed to doing everything we can to help firefighters and the community, we want to be clear that this fire was not caused by our operations or our team. Lineage is the tenant-operator of the building, not the owner. We believe the fire started on the roof when the owner of the solar array, Altus Power, was doing tests. The solar array does not power the building directly but provides power into the city power grid. As we step up for the community, we are also urging Altus to join us getting the Boyle Heights community the support they desperately need.”
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.”
Residents who notice unusual odors, smoke, dust, or other air quality concerns are urged to report them to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Complaints can be submitted by calling 1-800-CUT-SMOG (1-800-288-7664), or by using the agency’s online complaint system to report air contaminants both indoors and outdoors. To view current air quality, download the South Coast AQMD app or visit aqmd.gov/AQImap.
Los Angeles County Public Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis spoke at Monday’s news conference and urged residents to stay indoors and to wear a mask if they must go outside.
“If you go out and it bothers you, go back inside,” Davis said. “If you have to go out, put on a mask in order to reduce your risk of exposure to whatever is in the air, in terms of these particles.”
He also urged residents to follow AQMD’s advisories because conditions may rapidly change.
“People should continue to follow AQMD’s advisories,” Davis said. “As we’ve seen over the course of this time, they’ve changed. Right now, in some areas that were unhealthy yesterday, they’re good, or they’re moderate. In other areas, they’re still very unhealthy. You really have to pay attention to where you are.”
Officials have warned residents that although they may continue to see smoke for the next couple of days, there are no current evacuation or shelter-in-place orders issued in the area. Residents have been advised that the smoke may be irritating, especially for groups who are sensitive to air quality.
Mayor Karen Bass said her chief concern was for the public’s safety and health.
“We’re not concerned in terms of the fire spreading or anything like that. But we are concerned about the biohazard smoke. No smoke is good, but especially the smoke that could be toxic because of the chemicals that were needed to keep the food frozen in the facility,” Bass said.
Two shelters have been established for residents who have been affected by the fire. One of the locations is at Pecan Recreation Center, which is located at 145 S. Pecan Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033 and the second is at City Terrace Park, which is located at 1126 N. Hazard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90063.
On Tuesday, the The Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA was opened as an emergency shelter and mask distribution location as well.
During Monday’s news conference, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado spoke about a series of steps that she had taken to fight for residents living in the impacted areas.
“Unbelievably, this fire has been burning since last Wednesday, and I want to be very clear that this crisis is not over,” Jurado said. “While the emergency response continues, we cannot lose sight of what residents are experiencing.”
She said that her office has helped distribute thousands of masks and air purifiers and connect residents with smoke relief resources.
“We still need answers. … We still do not have clear enough information about what burned and what may still be burning and what is in the air and what is in the ash and what risks remain,” Jurado said. “They deserve the basic right to know what is in the air. … They’re just asking to know what the risks are so they can make the right decisions for their families and for their own health.”
She demanded that testing results from AQMD be released in plain language in both English and Spanish. Additionally she said that she had a planned set of legislation to propose during City Council meetings this week, which are all focused on answers, accountability and immediate relief.
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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