Local Emergency Declared as Firefighters Battle Boyle Heights Cold Storage Facility Blaze

Firefighters continue to face challenges at a large cold storage facility fire in Boyle Heights as Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency to aid response efforts. The fire, reported on Wednesday afternoon, is at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Big Bear facility used to store frozen foods.

Describing the facility, L.A. Fire Chief Jamie Moore compared it to a giant cooler, noting its construction with corrugated steel walls filled with dense foam insulation and reinforced steel panels. The building used ammonia in its refrigeration system, which may have worsened the fire initially.

“Imagine your refrigerator having a fire. You have the shell of the outside and the shell on the inside.” – L.A. Fire Chief Jamie Moore

With water-dropping helicopters, LAFD controlled the fire to approximately half of the facility. The other half, filled with food, has started to thaw after the refrigeration system was shut down and ammonia removed. The building’s internal temperature remains around 45 degrees due to insulation.

The fire’s complexities arise from foam insulation burning slowly once ignited. Helicopter water drops have been ongoing to prevent further escalation. Large aerial ladder pipes are used to direct thousands of gallons of water per minute onto the building.

Moore highlighted efforts using contract helicopters to drop 3,000-gallon loads of water, utilizing blaze tamer gel to encapsulate smoke and smother the fire effectively.

A flare-up occurred on the roof Sunday evening, with aerial footage showing more smoke from the facility. The presence of 85 million pounds of frozen food complicates efforts, limiting access due to zero visibility and unstable interior conditions.

Moore mentioned that food within the facility is beginning to rot, shifting from primarily bread and wheat to meat products like chicken, beef, pork, and fish. Crews are not entering the building to remove products manually due to biohazard concerns.

No injuries have been reported, and no evacuation or shelter-in-place orders are active. Despite smoke irritation, authorities assured residents there is no immediate danger necessitating evacuation.

Mayor Bass expressed concerns over biohazard smoke, emphasizing public safety. Two shelters are available for affected individuals at the Pecan Recreation Center and City Terrace Park.

Authorities distributed masks and air filters, with Bass planning discussions with Governor Newsom for a joint emergency declaration.

The emergency declaration aims to offer flexibility in coordinating response efforts, securing resources, conducting environmental remediation, and seeking state and federal assistance. Bass stressed the importance of resources in maintaining community safety.

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis highlighted the fire’s impact radius of 2.5 miles, affecting around 250,000 households.

Residents raised concerns over long-term health impacts due to particle pollution, prompting an advisory extension by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Lineage released a statement mentioning the fire’s origin possibly linked to third-party contractors working with solar panels. They ensured ammonia poses no community risk, having been pumped out and transported offsite.

Fire crews continue monitoring the structure, adjusting tactics to contain the fire. Authorities caution that extinguishing efforts could last days or weeks, urging residents to report unusual odors or air quality concerns to the South Coast AQMD.