Warehouse owner Chill Build breaks silence one month after Lineage fire in Boyle Heights

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

For weeks, the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse fire has been known simply as the Lineage fire. It’s a label that leaves out a key detail: Lineage Logistics doesn’t own the warehouse. It leases it. 

The building belongs to Chill Build Los Angeles I LLC, one of several entities associated with Indianapolis-area developer Gary Edwards. While Lineage has been the public face of the cleanup, Chill Build has largely remained out of public view. 

In its first statement since the fire, the company confirmed with The LA Local it has met with regulators, spent millions on the response and believes responsibility for repair and recovery efforts rests with Lineage.

“Lineage Logistics is the lessee of the entire property. They are responsible for all aspects of maintaining and repairing the facility. Lineage Logistics is in charge of the recovery efforts, communicating with residents, and reporting progress directly to city and county regulators.” 

Lineage did not respond to questions before publication about its relationship with Chill Build, the division of responsibilities between companies involved or whether it coordinated public communications with the property owner.

Chill Build was on scene in the first 16 hours of the fire

Records obtained by The LA Local show senior city inspectors from the L.A. Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) met with Edwards on site on June 24, notifying him that the city would order removal of all fire-damaged portions of the building and require permits before any reconstruction. A photo from a follow-up visit on July 1 shows Edwards standing with inspectors outside the warehouse, the same day the city issued a second order requiring Chill Build to submit a full remediation and monitoring plan, along with weekly progress reports. 

LADBS acknowledged receiving The LA Local’s questions about why its enforcement orders were issued to Chill Build and how the agency determines whether property owners or tenants are responsible for code enforcement actions, but did not respond before publication.

Chill Build confirmed it met with the Los Angeles Fire Department multiple times at the property from June 18 to July 6. A spokesperson said the company provided $6.2 million in funding to retain specialty contractors, equipment and resources to help extinguish the fire. 

Senior LADBS inspectors Robert Chavez and Mark Rude speak with property owner Gary Edwards at Chill Build’s warehouse in Boyle Heights on July 1, 2026.

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Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety

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The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has also opened three additional inspections tied to the fire, including one involving Chill Build, according to its public database. A Cal/OSHA spokesperson confirmed the inspections but said the agency could not share further detail while they remain open.

The owner of the warehouse

Chill Build purchased the property in March 2017 for $43 million before developing it into the roughly 500,000-square-foot cold-storage facility that now sits fire-damaged. 

A review of city permits list Chill Build Los Angeles as the owner throughout construction, and at least 10 permits name Victory Unlimited Construction LLC — another company owned by Edwards — as the contractor. 

One permit lists Chill Build as owner and applicant for the rooftop solar array, the same system linked to fires in both 2024 and again in June. 

A review of corporate filings shows Edwards listed as manager, member, agent, or governor of at least a dozen companies operating under the Chill Build name across multiple states. Chill Build Los Angeles did not comment further on Edwards’ relationship with the Chill Build entities.

Chill Build Los Angeles has also been named as a defendant in at least two lawsuits filed over the fire, alongside Lineage, Altus Power, and Pearce Services.

Has Chill Build engaged with the community?

While Chill Build says communication with residents is the responsibility of Lineage, the company said it donated $2 million to national nonprofit Baby2Baby’s Disaster Relief & Emergency Response Program on June 24, providing air purifiers, diapers, formula, wipes, children’s N95 masks, food and hygiene products to support impacted children and families. 

“Our commitment to the community then and now has been to contribute our time, expertise and resources to protecting the health and safety of the firefighters, first responders, and our neighbors in Boyle Heights and the surrounding communities,” the company told The LA Local. “We continue to maintain an active on-site presence supporting the safe cleanup and mitigation of environmental impacts, wherever and whenever needed.” 

But that outreach has not extended to local leaders. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, whose district includes Boyle Heights, said the property owner should take a more public role as recovery efforts continue. Her office said it has not had direct conversations with representatives from Chill Build since the fire. 

“If an organization has responsibilities related to this property — whether as an owner, operator, contractor, or another responsible entity — it should be at the table,” Jurado’s office said in a statement. “Residents deserve direct answers, regular progress reports, supporting documentation, and the opportunity to ask questions of the people responsible for this recovery.”

Why responsibility for the fire isn’t straightforward 

Determining fault for the fire itself is complicated. Lineage has said it believes the blaze started while subcontractors Pearce Services tested a rooftop solar system owned by Altus Power. Pearce Services confirmed its crew was doing that rooftop work and Altus says the cause hasn’t been determined. Cal/OSHA has opened inspections naming Lineage, Pearce, Altus, Chill Build, and refrigeration contractor Chillest Industries. 

In its statement, Chill Build said Altus, its contractors and other service companies have contractual relationships solely with Lineage Logistics.

Susan Phillips, a Pitzer College professor who has tracked warehouse fires since 2021, said that kind of tangle is common. “All of these entities are trying to protect themselves financially,” she said. “It just gets to the point where everyone is accountable, and no one is accountable.”

Cold-storage warehouses are typically run under industrial leases that split maintenance, repair and operational duties between owner and tenant, with separate agreements sometimes covering rooftop solar or outside contractors. Attorney Gary Praglin, who handles environmental contamination cases, said responsibility usually flows from those lease terms — but landlords don’t get to opt out when there’s a public health risk next door.

“Landlords cannot turn a blind eye,” Praglin said. “The cleanup can result in further damage. Millions of pounds of rotten food, smelling up the area. A landlord can’t just let that happen because people are being exposed.”

Lineage has said it is racing to meet Mayor Karen Bass’ 45-day deadline to remove millions of pounds of spoiled food waste from the site.