LOS ANGELES — A massive fire at a cold storage warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood sent thick smoke over parts of Los Angeles on Wednesday, prompting a temporary shelter-in-place order and air quality concerns in surrounding areas, officials said.
The blaze broke out around 2:30 p.m. at the nearly 500,000-square-foot Lineage Logistics facility on South Los Palos Street. Flames spread across the building’s roof, which was covered in solar panels. Firefighters responded with about 110 personnel, using ladder trucks and helicopters for water drops in a defensive operation.
Concerns over a potential ammonia leak from the facility’s refrigeration system led authorities to issue a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents. The order was lifted Wednesday evening after crews contained the leak by shutting valves and determined there was no ongoing threat from hazardous materials.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials reported no injuries. Crews gained the upper hand on the fire by evening, though they remained on scene Thursday to address hot spots.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a particle pollution advisory for areas east of downtown Los Angeles and portions of the San Gabriel Valley, including Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles and Montebello. The advisory remained in effect until 10 a.m. Thursday.
“We’ve been monitoring the air throughout this incident — monitoring smoke columns, we are monitoring downwind, we’re monitoring inside the building, we’re monitoring outside the building — and we’re getting absolutely no readings of any concern,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said.
Officials noted that elevated particulate matter was recorded near the fire site but decreased downwind as smoke dissipated. There were no reports of significant toxic air quality impacts beyond the initial concerns.
The warehouse, used for food storage and logistics, is located in an industrial area of Boyle Heights, just east of downtown Los Angeles. Thick black smoke from the fire was visible across much of the city during the afternoon commute on Wednesday.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Lineage Logistics has not released a public statement on the incident or any potential operational impacts.
Fire crews are expected to maintain a presence at the site for the next few days. Public health officials continue to advise residents with respiratory conditions to limit outdoor exposure in affected areas as a precaution. No further shelter-in-place orders were in effect as of Thursday morning.
