The fire is out at Lineage, but the smell and millions of pounds of food remain

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

The smell of rotten meat and fish permeated throughout the home of Alfonso Hernandez, 67, who lives just a few houses north of where the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights took place. Despite running an air purifier, the stench mixed with Thursday’s heat reminded him of the notorious smell of driving by the Farmer John meatpacking plant in the city of Vernon, less than 3 miles away. 

To him, this was worse.

“It’s like sometimes when I forget food in my car and then two days later I’m like, ‘What the heck?’,” Hernandez said.

Even though the warehouse fire has been declared knocked down, nearby residents are still dealing with its aftermath. Now, officials are shifting into the next phase: Cleaning up the millions of pounds of seafood, pork, beef, and poultry left inside what remains of the damaged warehouse.

“Once we turn this building over to the building owner and the business owner, they will be responsible for paying all the expenses with the haul away,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore told reporters at Thursday’s press conference. 

Regulatory agencies like the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are expected to play a role in overseeing product disposal, Moore explained. 

Firefighters will remain on site to keep the building cool and address any remaining hot spots deep within the harder to reach regions of the structure. They will also support safety measures for cleanup crews. 

In a statement, Lineage said it hired Signal Restoration Services to lead cleanup efforts and has already staged cleanup equipment on-site.

Plans for disinfection, odor control, and pest control will be implemented. Lineage is also exploring ways to minimize disruption to the community, including the use of watertight trailers and containers to transport waste off-site.

“To move forward as quickly as possible, we urge the government agencies involved to promptly address any permitting or other approvals necessary to begin cleanup,” the company said.

A 2024 fire in Finley, Washington, offers a glimpse into what residents might expect moving forward. The cold-storage warehouse, also operated by Lineage Logistics, burned for two months. Cleanup cost about $10 million. The entire building was lost and county commissioners at the time grew frustrated with how long the process took. In some cases, clearing took time because certain areas required approval from fire investigators or local agencies. 

“Knocking down the fire does not mean the crisis is behind us. It means we’re entering a new phase,” said Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. “Now, our focus must be on protecting people’s health, supporting recovery and making sure this community gets the answers it deserves.” 

Officials are working with AltaMed, specifically the sites nearest to the scene, and St. John’s Community Health Clinic, to open mobile clinics throughout the district in the days ahead. 

Jurado and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis authored separate motions on June 23 seeking answers about the cause of the fire, the facility’s compliance history, inspections, and oversight systems. Accountability, Jurado said, begins with facts. 

The smoke respite shelter at City Terrace Park will close at noon on Saturday, June 27, as use has significantly declined, Solis shared in a statement. 

“The County’s Department of Health Services mobile unit was deployed multiple times this week at City Terrace Park, alongside Via Care and other FQHC partners, and will continue to support distribution efforts and deployments as needed, providing basic care, respiratory checks, screenings, and referrals at no cost.” 

How to report odors: 

Contact the South Coast Air Quality Management District by calling (800) CUT SMOG or (800) 288-7664.

Boyle Heights Beat senior reporter Alejandra Molina contributed to this story.