{"id":18968,"date":"2026-06-30T20:01:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18968"},"modified":"2026-06-30T20:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:01:32","slug":"impact-of-boyle-heights-fire-rats-rotted-food-strong-odors-dead-birds-in-la-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18968","title":{"rendered":"Impact of Boyle Heights fire: Rats, rotted food, strong odors, dead birds in LA River"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

While the fire is mostly out, the after-effects of the massive cold storage building blaze in Boyle Heights include this puzzle: How to transport 85 million pounds of rotting meat, while protecting residents from rats, powerful odors and environmental damage to the L.A. River.<\/p>\n

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These cleanup-related issues were the topic of a look ahead at what happens next, 14 days after the fire overtook the Lineage warehouse \u2014 a massive, 500,000-square-foot cold-storage building at 1400 S. Los Palos St. on the border of the city of Los Angeles and the county area of East L.A.<\/p>\n

The fire has burned for two weeks, and released waves of particulates into the air that caused asthma attacks and other respiratory problems.<\/p>\n

The post-fire analysis and next-steps discussion was conducted by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 30 at an open meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are focusing on recovery of the L.A. River and the related waterways impacted,\u201d said Mark Pestrella, director of L.A. County Public Works. \u201cWe are also looking at landfills to be used for disposal (of rotting food),\u201d he told the board.<\/p>\n

Public Works has collected \u201ca significant amount of debris from the L.A. River system.\u201d That is being stored so we can sort through it and test it and categorize it, so we can study the impacts on humans and wildlife,\u201d Pestrella said.<\/p>\n

Birds have died amid the runoff\u2019s acidic conditions, he said. \u201cIt is related to the discharge of materials left at the facility.\u201d He said debris flowing into storm drains and reaching the L.A. River has been brought under control by the department using booms to stop the flow.<\/p>\n

Pestrella said his department have documented fish dying off in the river. This has occurred mostly where the river water is diverted into the Dominguez Gap Wetlands near Long Beach. He said the fish kill could be related to discharge of materials and foam from the fire but tests are not yet completed and the cause is inconclusive.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe timing is suspicious,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are looking at cause and effect and working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and our own biologists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any pollution from the plant could be a direct violation of state and federal wetlands protection laws, he said.<\/p>\n

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The transport of the content \u2014 mostly rotting food and meat \u2014 will take thousands of truckloads on city and county streets to organic waste-processing facilities, some inside L.A. County and some elsewhere, he said. Public Works is working with L.A. city officials and Lineage, the owners, to decide on routes and avoiding residential streets as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Until that material is removed, residents in Boyle Heights and neighboring East L.A. say the area smells of rotting garbage.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe aroma and smells are so bad now it is it causing other physical issues, such as nausea,\u201d said Solis. However, these smells are not toxic. \u201cIt is irritating but that\u2019s pretty much it,\u201d said Dr. Muntu Davis, the health officer for L.A. County.<\/p>\n

Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she\u2019s heard from those near the fire seeing a large number of rats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a high number of them seen by residents. They are feeding on the rotten food,\u201d Barger said.<\/p>\n

Supervisor Janice Hahn, who said she and her team helped give masks and air purifiers to residents and business owners in Commerce over the weekend, said she\u2019s heard complaints of a smell \u201clike rotten meat\u201d coming from the sewers.<\/p>\n

Barger wanted county officials and affected residents to be aware of unscrupulous lawyers or contractors asking people for personal information and sign on to class action lawsuits. Some may be fraudulently using personal information, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are out there. And in my opinion, they are predators who are looking for a way to take advantage of a community in fear,\u201d Barger said.<\/p>\n

Eddie Torres, with the East Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, asked how he can get more N95 masks and air purifiers. So far, Solis said the county has handed out 7,000 air purifiers. \u201cOn Saturday, the stench was so bad even with a mask,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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LA County supervisors took a look ahead Tuesday at what happens next, 14 days after the fire overtook the Lineage warehouse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nImpact of Boyle Heights fire: Rats, rotted food, strong odors, dead birds in LA River - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18968\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Impact of Boyle Heights fire: Rats, rotted food, strong odors, dead birds in LA River - 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