Fire reignited at a cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights on Friday evening, sending a mixture of black and white smoke billowing from the building as firefighters continue to battle flames inside a freezer container, authorities said.
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A shift in the wind caused the flare-up, which was reported shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said in a statement.
“More smoke is currently visible in the area of this incident; however, there is no additional hazard,” according to fire officials.
Shelter-in-place orders were lifted Friday, but a smoke advisory issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District remains in effect.
There are no evacuation orders, but a temporary shelter has been established at the direction of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis.
“Out of an abundance of caution, I have directed the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management to open a shelter at City Terrace Park for residents who would prefer an alternative location while firefighting operations continue.” Solis said in a statement late Friday
The park is at 1126 N. Hazard Ave., 323-260-2371. Information about the shelter, available services or transportation assistance is available at AlertLA.org
Solis has scheduled a news conference for 9 a.m. Saturday to further discuss the temporary accommodations and other available resources.
The City of Los Angeles has also opened a shelter at the Pecan Recreation Center, 145 S Pecan St., 323-262-2736, Mayor Karen Bass announced during a Friday evening news conference.
“As this operation continues, I want to ask people, when they can, to please stay inside,” Bass said. “Keep your pets inside. And if you need to go outside for any reason, please wear a mask. We know this is concerning. This is inconvenient. But we are doing everything we can to end this as soon as possible, and we want everybody to be safe in the meantime.”
Residents were also advised to close their windows and doors and turn off window-mounted air conditioning and heating units.
Lineage Logistics, which operates the facility at 1400 S. Los Palos St., said it is working with fire officials and offered a preliminary assessment of the fire’s cause and risks.
“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 officials said in a late Friday statement. “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.”
No injuries had been reported as of Saturday morning.
The blaze initially began shortly after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and rapidly spread across solar panels on the roof of the 491,000-square-foot warehouse, while an ammonia leak developed inside the building and thick smoke billowed into the air, prompting shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents and businesses.
The intensity of the flames and heightened danger posed by the ammonia leak forced LAFD crews to pull away from the structure and assume a defensive posture, pouring water on the building from the exterior.
As the fire spread, LAFD hose lines were unable to reach parts of the blaze, so at least three water-dropping helicopters were brought in to help halt the flames, dumping thousands of gallons of water onto the building.
At about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, fire officials reported the spread of the flames on the roof had been halted, and the original shelter-in-place order was lifted.
In a later update, they said changing winds reignited hot spots inside the building and by Friday firefighters were again battling flames and conducting overhaul operations as smoke continued to rise from the damaged structure.
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Battalion Chief Nick Ferrari said Friday’s flare-up occurred because the flames are “so deep-seated in this building, we cannot get water to the seat of the fire.”
He added that there were about 56 forklifts equipped with lithium batteries inside the facility, and as crews battled the fire, firefighters entered the building and removed every forklift that could be started, moving them to the parking lot to eliminate any risk.
“There are still some remaining forklifts inside the building,” Ferrari said. “They are in an uninvolved portion of the building, and we are making a stand there to prevent the fire from entering that building so that there’s not a lithium ion battery hazard. This is going to be an extended event.”
As of 6:55 p.m. Friday, the fire department noted that changing weather conditions and ongoing suppression efforts would increase smoke visibility in the area, but said there was no immediate threat to the public.
“Firefighters continue to attack the fire on the roof and in the building from the exterior,” officials said. “We appreciate your patience and encourage residents to stay informed through official updates.”
LAFD Chief Jaime Moore called the fire “very unique” and said crews were using water-dropping helicopters for a structure fire — which are more commonly used for brush fires — but the size of the warehouse necessitated the aerial operation.
Moore said he has been with the department 31 years and this was only the second time he could recall aerial water drops being used to battle a structure fire. The previous incident occurred about six years ago in Echo Park.
“These are unprecedented tactics that are being used,” Moore said. “And so when people are asking, what is our fire department doing? To be very aggressive and improve the situations. This is an example of this.”
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the department announced it was beginning to ventilate the building, releasing smoke from inside the building. As a result, the LAFD again reissued a shelter-in-place order affecting residents and businesses in an area stretching south of the 101 Freeway to roughly Washington Boulevard, east of Lorena Street and west of Indiana Street.
A Particle Pollution Advisory issued by the AQMD at 5 p.m. Wednesday was initially scheduled to expire at 10 a.m. Thursday, but was first extended through Friday and later extended again through 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
The solar panels on the same building also caught fire in August 2024, but LAFD crews were able to douse that blaze in less than an hour with no injuries reported
According to the Lineage Logistics website, the facility “is built to handle high-volume inventory and streamline … global cold chain from production floor to international delivery.”
LAFD Chief Jaime Moore called it a “very unique” situation for crews to use water-dropping helicopters for a structure fire, but the size of the warehouse necessitated the aerial operation.
Moore said he has been with the LAFD for 31 years, and it was only the second time he could recall aerial water drops being used to battle a structure fire. The previous incident occurred about six years ago in Echo Park.
About 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, fire officials reported that the spread of the flames on the roof had been halted, and the original shelter-in-place order was lifted Wednesday night.
No injuries were reported. It was unclear what sparked the blaze.
The solar panels on the same building also caught fire in August 2024, but LAFD crews were able to douse that blaze in less than an hour with no injuries.
According to the Lineage website, the facility offers cold storage, customs brokerage, drayage and blast freezing. The facility “is built to handle high-volume inventory and streamline … global cold chain from production floor to international delivery.”
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