LOS ANGELES, CA – Lineage Logistics said it plans to spend between $80 million and $100 million on cleanup efforts after a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights destroyed stored food, sent putrid odors into nearby neighborhoods and drew growing anger from residents and city officials.
The company operates the roughly 500,000-square-foot warehouse in the 1400 block of Los Palos Street, where a fire broke out on June 17 and burned for eight straight days.
According to the company, the fire ignited while workers were servicing solar panels on the warehouse roof.
The blaze caused tens of millions of pounds of food stored inside the facility to spoil. Lineage said it has now removed about 80% of the roughly 85 million pounds of food waste left behind after the fire.
The cleanup did not begin until July 7, nearly three weeks after the fire started. The delay has fueled frustration among Boyle Heights residents, who said they have spent weeks dealing with foul odors, flies, rats and other vermin around the burned-out facility.
Information reviewed by Street People indicates Lineage is expected to present its cleanup estimates to South Coast Air Quality Management District board members Wednesday.
“Since commencing cleanup on July 7, Lineage has removed approximately 80% percent of food waste and continues to execute the fastest and safest possible cleanup,” the company said in a statement. “Our goal is to complete bulk food waste removal from the site next week.”
Lineage said hundreds of workers, contractors and experts are working around the clock to complete the cleanup, reduce odors and assist residents affected by the disaster.
The company said odor-control spray systems have been placed around the site, including a tracked robotic spray system. Odor neutralizers are being applied to waste materials several times a day, while portions of the building have been wrapped to help contain smells.
Nine industrial air scrubbers are also being used to pull air through carbon filters, according to the company. Water from the site is being collected and pumped into an onsite wastewater tank that is covered and connected to vapor recovery.
Lineage said cleanup crews are also conducting daily cleaning of runoff collection areas, loading zones and drains. Food waste is being placed into roll-off bins that are sealed once full and removed from the facility along approved truck routes.
The company said it is continuously monitoring air quality and sharing data with local regulators and the public.
Pest-control efforts have also been expanded. Lineage said it is working with Orkin to reduce fly and rodent activity around the warehouse and limit impacts on nearby homes and businesses.
Those measures include daily fly-control treatments, property inspections for rodent activity, rodent-control devices around the site and up to 248 exterior fly-control devices, including bait stations and fly traps.
Targeted treatments are also being used around dumpsters, loading areas, drainage areas, fence lines and other locations where flies are most active, the company said.
Lineage said it has spent $3.3 million providing support to the local community since the fire.
The company said it conducted door-to-door outreach to nearly 800 households closest to the warehouse, which were identified by city and county officials as the most directly affected. So far, outreach teams have contacted about 87% of those households and are continuing to return to homes that were not reached.
Lineage said it has provided nearby households with 599 air purifiers, 651 portable air-conditioning units, 562 N95 masks, 638 cases of bottled water, about 350 fly traps, 1,223 grocery vouchers totaling $122,300 and 113 cash-assistance cards totaling $113,000.
Eligible households are also being offered temporary relocation assistance, utility bill assistance, pest-control supplies and information about additional community resources, according to the company.
The announcement comes as pressure builds on Lineage over the fire, the delayed cleanup and the company’s future at the Boyle Heights site.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass recently criticized the company for submitting plans to rebuild the warehouse while residents continue to deal with the aftermath.
“Lineage had the audacity to submit plans to rebuild their warehouse,” Bass said at a news conference. “This is a slap in the face to the families who are forced to suffer with the consequences of this corporation’s actions, or I should say inaction, every single day.”
Bass said she plans to delay the company’s rebuilding efforts in the area.
The cause and consequences of the fire remain under scrutiny as cleanup work continues.
