LOS ANGELES — Firefighters continued battling a massive blaze at a cold-storage warehouse in Los Angeles on Tuesday, nearly a week after the fire erupted in the city’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, as officials warned residents about ongoing smoke and air-quality concerns.
The fire began on June 17 at a large frozen-food storage facility operated by Lineage near downtown Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Officials said the blaze has proven unusually difficult to extinguish because of the warehouse’s heavily insulated construction, extensive interior storage racks and structural damage caused by the fire.
Fire crews have been unable to safely enter much of the approximately 500,000-square-foot facility, forcing them to attack the fire from outside while removing sections of exterior walls to gain access to smoldering areas, authorities said. The building’s roof, which was covered with solar panels, has partially collapsed, further complicating firefighting operations.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Jamie Stewart said fires in cold-storage facilities can burn for extended periods because insulation designed to maintain low temperatures can also trap heat and conceal hot spots. “Fires in cold-storage facilities often burn for weeks,” Stewart said during a briefing cited by local media.
City officials have continued to advise residents in Boyle Heights and surrounding communities to limit outdoor activity and use protective masks when necessary because of smoke containing fine particulate matter. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has maintained air-quality advisories for parts of the region, according to local authorities.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency over the weekend to help secure additional resources for the response. In a statement, Bass said city and county agencies would continue working “around the clock” to extinguish the fire and address public health concerns.
The warehouse reportedly contained about 85 million pounds of frozen food, including meat and seafood products, according to fire officials. Authorities said the contents of the facility, combined with the building’s layout and insulation materials, have contributed to the prolonged operation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials have said preliminary information suggests it may have originated during work involving rooftop solar panels, but no official determination has been announced.
As of Tuesday, firefighters remained on scene and continued suppression efforts. Officials said the timeline for fully extinguishing the fire remains unclear, and air-quality monitoring will continue while the response is underway.
