Boyle Heights shelter-in-place order reinstated as crews ventilate hazardous smoke warehouse

Thick black smoke and flames erupted from a solar-paneled commercial warehouse building in Boyle Heights, prompting a massive firefighting battle and a shelter-in-place order for neighboring areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the 500,000-square-foot food-product storage facility and said they stopped the forward progress by Wednesday night. 

Initially, crews attempted to battle the fire from the roof of the building at 1400 S. Los Palos Street, but quickly transitioned into defensive mode and moved off the roof around 3:25 p.m. as the fire spread across the solar panels. Several water-dropping helicopters also responded to the scene to assist ground crews who were trying to extinguish the flames from aerial ladders.

Firefighters believe that leaking ammonia could have helped fuel the fire. 

"This is a building that's being used commercially for refrigeration of product. So, ammonia is one of the majority of the products being used with refrigeration," said LAFD Chief Jaime Moore. "We believe an ammonia line was then compromised, because we had a large, powerful stream of ammonia then coming out."

They said that ammonia itself isn't dangerous, but it can cause irritation in people exposed to the chemical.

Moore also noted the danger that comes with solar panel fires, as they generate electricity even when power is shut off. Because of the compromised panels, which he said caused the fire "spreading almost like a wildfire," LAFD incident commanders decided to call in water-dropping aircraft. Because of this, crews said they were able to stop the flames from spreading into the building's interior.

No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

On Thursday, with air quality concerns still top of mind, firefighters continued mopping up the blaze and spotted a pocket of fire in a freezer container at the warehouse.   

The building is a large-scale logistics facility called Lineage, and according to its website, "Lineage's Los Palos facility offers cold storage, customs brokerage, drayage, and intermodal services."

Lineage issued the following statement upon request:

"Lineage's top priority is the health and safety of our employees, partners, and the communities in which we live and operate. We are aware of the incident and are working closely with local officials and first responder teams to assess the situation and provide support. This is an evolving matter, and we will provide updates as appropriate."

In August 2024, LAFD crews were called to the facility for a fire on the roof of the building. At the time, it took more than 70 firefighters under an hour to extinguish the flames, which they were able to contain to a part of the building's solar panel array. 

Residents asked to shelter in place

LAFD issued a shelter-in-place order for parts of Boyle Heights as the fire burned. It was lifted later on Wednesday, but less than 24 hours later, firefighters reinstated the advisory to ventilate hazardous smoke from the warehouse.

South and southwest winds in the area were light and heading east, according to CBS LA meteorologist Liberté Chan, who said that neighborhoods downwind of Boyle Heights, like Vernon and Commerce, were potentially impacted by the smoke from the fire. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District said it has an inspector heading to the scene, and "we are actively reviewing particulate matter data from our regional air monitors as well as local air quality sensor networks." They urged anyone who can see or smell smoke from the fire to remain inside, close their doors and windows and run air purifiers if possible. 

The LA County Department of Public Health issued an unhealthy air quality alert after firefighters stopped the blaze's forward progress. The advisory is for neighborhoods east of downtown Los Angeles and portions of the San Gabriel Valley, according to public health staff. It will last until Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The Los Angeles Police Department was on tactical alert for traffic control due to the fire. 

City officials monitor the situation

Los Angeles city leaders also shared public statements as the situation continued to develop. Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, whose district covers Boyle Heights, said that her office is closely monitoring the incident. 

"We know how frightening it is to see heavy smoke in your neighborhood, especially for families, workers, small businesses and commuters who are trying to understand what is happening and how to stay safe," Jurado said. "Right now, the most important thing is to follow the shelter-in-place order that has been issued because of the smoke."

Mayor Karen Bass and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis shared similar statements urging residents to stay inside and avoid unnecessary travel. 

Union Pacific officials said that while they're monitoring the situation, their nearby railroad tracks were not impacted by the fire and that their day-to-day operations continued as normal.

Wednesday's blaze is one of three notable warehouse fires to occur in California in about a month's time after the Kimberly Clark paper goods warehouse in Ontario was allegedly set on fire by an arsonist in April, and the Medline Industries warehouse in Tracy was destroyed last week. 

Air Quality Concerns

To view current air quality, download the South Coast AQMD app or visit www.aqmd.gov/AQImap.

"Smoke production during the active flaming phase of the fire was significant and may lead to continued air quality impacts in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Montebello, and downtown Los Angeles. Lesser smoke impacts are expected for a wider area including Alhambra, Arcadia, and the San Fernando Valley" AQMD said, noting an immediate air quality advisory will remain in effect through 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Dr. Elaine Bernal, Cal State Long Beach Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said residents should be paying attention to air quality monitoring results that AQMD will release. Reports on the monitoring of particulate matter, Volatile Organic Compounds, heavy metals, and ammonia that leaked will be released over the next few days.

"Yes, be concerned about the ammonia leak, and more so with the Volatile Organic Compounds, heavy metals as well as particulate matter that will evolve from today, and the next few days," Bernal said.  

She said that as AQMD does its air monitoring, those results will be of high importance. "Symptoms of exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds with ammonia, with heavy metals, you may experience some respiratory symptoms like irritation, shortness of breath," Bernal said.