'Like a dead body': After warehouse fire, LA residents endure stench of rotting food
A week-long warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, has left about 40 million pounds of frozen food rotting, causing a putrid smell and health issues for residents.
Residents of Boyle Heights, a neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, are struggling with a pervasive and unbearable smell of rotting meat, vegetables, and frozen products following a massive warehouse fire that started on June 17. The fire, which burned for a week, destroyed half of the 85 million pounds of frozen food stored in the 500,000-square-foot insulated facility, leaving about 40 million pounds to decay.
Kelvin Vasquez, who lives just a block from the warehouse, described the smell as similar to a dead body or a dead animal. He and other residents have reported health problems since the fire began, including sore throat, headache, dizziness, and nausea. The fire prompted a state of emergency and evacuation orders due to worsening air quality.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze on Wednesday, cleanup operations became the responsibility of the property owner and Lineage Logistics, the cold-storage company leasing the space. Lineage said it hired a cleanup firm, but neither the company nor the contractor provided a timeline. Los Angeles health officials said the city was unaware of any plans for the disposal of the spoiled food. Millions of gallons of water used to fight the fire created a polluted stream containing debris, insulation foam, and food packaging.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Lineage has blamed Altus Power, a clean energy company operating solar panels on the warehouse roof, alleging the fire started during tests on the solar array. Altus Power stated that the cause has yet to be determined. The same warehouse saw a solar panel fire in 2024, which was quickly extinguished. Additionally, a Lineage warehouse in Finley, Washington, also caught fire in 2024, burning for 60 days and leading to health complaints and ongoing civil lawsuits.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass vowed to hold those responsible fully accountable and announced plans to sign an executive order to mobilize additional resources for the cleanup.
