Los Angeles Firefighters Battle Warehouse Blaze for Sixth Day

Los Angeles firefighters battled a fire at a 500,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood for a sixth day on Monday. The blaze began June 17 at the Big Bear facility operated by Michigan-based Lineage. The warehouse stores about 85 million pounds of frozen seafood, pork, beef and poultry for shipment to grocery stores and restaurants on the U.S.

West Coast. Rows inside reach 65 feet tall and 650 feet long, filled with pallets and boxes. Firefighters have not entered the building because of the risk from heavy-duty steel rack shelving and a compromised roof now resting on those 65-foot structures.

Instead, crews have stripped exterior walls on some sides and applied heavy streams of water from outside. Lineage said the cause remains undetermined but believes the fire started while subcontractors worked on solar panels on the roof. The company is cooperating with investigators.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Jamie Stewart said it will take at least a few more days to extinguish the fire. He noted that fires in cold storage facilities often burn for weeks because of heavy insulation in ceilings, roofs and walls that prevents quick ventilation.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District said air around Boyle Heights remained very unhealthy on Monday, with smoke carrying PM2.5 particles also reaching the San Gabriel Valley.

The district extended a warning until Tuesday afternoon, citing light winds that could spread smoke to other parts of metropolitan Los Angeles. Health officials advised residents in the most affected areas to avoid vigorous activity, close windows and doors, turn off air conditioning, and stay indoors with pets. Those needing to go outside were told to wear N95 or P100 masks.