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Boyle Heights warehouse fire flares up Friday due to wind
A large plume of white smoke billowed out of a cold storage facility on Friday afternoon, two days after the fire first ignited at the Boyle Heights warehouse.
Residents near the facility on S. Los Palos Street reported smelling came out of their homes to see the smoke and vehicles driving in that direction turned around as it appeared that the fire reignited shortly before 5 p.m.
Firefighters were at the scene dousing the building.
"Due to an expected change in wind conditions, there was a flare-up inside the structure, which was anticipated by crews on scene," the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. "More smoke is currently visible in the area of this incident; however, there is no additional hazard. Crews will continue to flow large amounts of water into the building for an extended period of time."
The fire first broke out Wednesday, prompting an hours-long shelter-in-place order due to hazardous materials, including ammonia.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District early Thursday afternoon extended a particle pollution advisory for an area including Boyle Heights, central Los Angeles, and parts of Northeast LA following Wednesday’s fire.
Early monitoring showed particles were generally present at background levels, AQMD said, but for several seconds at a time, they found increased levels of bromine and chlorine.
“Bromine and chlorine are typically found at trace levels during structural fires and the levels seen were below short-term health-based exposure thresholds,” AQMD said. “Concentrations below this level are not expected to cause adverse health effects. No significant levels of air toxic metals were seen.”