LAFD closes investigation into Lineage warehouse fire without determining a cause

“The Department’s thoughts remain with all those impacted by this deeply tragic incident,” Arson and Fire Investigation Chief Thomas Raymond said in a release.

The finding leaves unanswered questions for residents and officials who have been pressing for answers since the fire broke out.

District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said that LAFD’s finding “does nothing to alleviate what Boyle Heights residents have endured and are still carrying: months of health concerns and disruption, along with unanswered questions about whether this site can safely operate again.”

“The fact that we still cannot explain how this catastrophe began is yet another reason I will continue opposing any permits to rebuild this facility,” Jurado said.

Lineage, however, interpreted the report differently.

“Today’s report from the Los Angeles Fire Department validates what we have known all along: This was a solar fire,” the company said in a statement following the investigation.

After the report was posted publicly, Lineage sent an updated statement that reads, “The report lists only one ignition source the LAFD could not rule out as a cause: ‘Solar panels and their connected components.’ As we’ve known all along, this is a solar fire.”

A spokesperson for Los Palos Street Operating, LLC, a subsidiary of Altus Power, disputed those claims.

“Lineage unfortunately continues to misinform the public: its statement today is in direct conflict with the Los Angeles Fire Department’s finding that the cause of the incident is ‘undetermined,'” the spokesperson said.

In its report, LAFD said solar panels and their connected components were the only one thing could not be ruled out as an ignition and fuel source.

The fire department’s investigation broke down how the fire originated on the solar panel-covered roof of the building through witness accounts.

Paul Scott, the Lineage supervisor responsible for verifying the operational safety of the solar panels, told the LAFD on June 22 that maintenance workers had been “working on the solar equipment for months, making repairs to the system after a fire occurred on the solar panels in 2024,” according to the report.

Workers on the roof observed fire coming from underneath a panel on the Union Pacific Avenue side of the building and used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put it out, the report said. But, additional fires were spotted close by.

The rooftop solar system is owned by Altus Power.

In its report, the LAFD also said that no ammonia was detected at the time of the fire, despite its presence as a refrigerant inside the cold storage facility.

The fire department also said it monitored other gases including oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, combustible gases, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds, all of which “were within normal limits for a common structure fire.”

But questions about air quality have continued after the fire.

An analysis published last month by the Community and Environment Research Lab at UC Irvine and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice found elevated levels of ammonia in streets close to Lineage and surrounding areas weeks after the fire. The highest level, 4,300 parts per billion, was detected on Aug. 2 on Indiana Street near Union Pacific Avenue, though it did not exceed California’s short-term health standards.

In the wake of the fire, East Yard members have criticized officials’ response in the immediate aftermath, particularly as it relates to air quality, and called for evacuations for residents. In July, the group took air samples, dissatisfied with the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s assessment of the fire’s air-quality impacts.

For East Yard, the investigation also raises concerns about accountability.

“The failure to identify the cause of the fire gives space to all of the companies involved to point at each other and extend the timeline on any real type of accountability and repair for our communities,” the group said in an Instagram post.

Recently, the LA City Council voted to withhold rebuilding permits for the Lineage warehouse until after the LAFD completed its investigation. Earlier this month, Lineage Chief Executive Officer Greg Lehmkuhl told Boyle Heights Beat and The LA Local that the company had not decided whether to rebuild, saying, “We’re still focused on holding the right people accountable here and making sure that we’re continuing to support the community.”

The CEO’s comments came after Lineage sued solar power provider Altus Power, Inc. and its contractor, blaming them for the fire. Altus Power and its contractor dispute those claims.

LA Mayor Karen Bass said Wednesday that she directed the city’s Emergency Management Department to publish the full investigation report online, which LAFD had previously said was only available through a California Privacy Rights Act request that costs $5.50 to file.

“My commitment is to the residents of Boyle Heights. They deserve transparency … We must do all that we can to prevent emergencies like this in the future,” Bass said.

Bass has been clear that she does not support efforts for Lineage to rebuild its warehouse and has requested an audit of similar warehouses near residential neighborhoods across the city.

The fire and subsequent cleanup of millions of pounds of rotting food caused a flood of issues for residents living in Boyle Heights, East LA and surrounding communities, including an infestation of flies and pests, nausea and headaches, higher utility bills and other health concerns.

Boyle Heights Beat senior reporter Alejandra Molina and LA Local enterprise reporter Christopher Damien contributed to this report.