‘Like a dead body’: after warehouse fire, LA residents say air thick with smell of rotting food
Summary
A large warehouse in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, burned for a week, destroying half of its frozen food stock and releasing thick black smoke that caused health problems for nearby residents. After the fire was put out, residents reported a bad smell from rotting food that was left unrefrigerated, while cleanup plans remain unclear.Key Facts
- The warehouse fire lasted about a week and affected the Boyle Heights area near downtown Los Angeles.
- Half of the warehouse’s 85 million pounds of frozen food was lost in the fire, leaving around 40 million pounds to rot.
- Residents near the warehouse experienced sore throats, headaches, dizziness, and nausea during the fire.
- The smell from the rotting food was described by a resident as similar to a dead animal.
- Millions of gallons of water used to fight the fire created polluted runoff with debris and spoiled food.
- Lineage Logistics leases the warehouse space and has hired a cleanup company, but no timeline for cleanup or disposal of spoiled food is available.
- Lineage blamed Altus Power, a solar energy company operating rooftop panels, for possibly causing the fire during testing; Altus Power said the cause is still unknown.
- This warehouse had a previous solar panel fire in 2024, and a similar long-lasting warehouse fire occurred at a Lineage site in Washington state in 2022.
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