Residents affected by the Boyle Heights warehouse fire and its aftermath rallied rally Friday to demand the permanent closure of the Lineage Logistics cold-storage warehouse.
Among their concerns are whether a city-imposed 45-day cleanup deadline following the June fire will be met. The rally was at the corner of Indiana Street and Union Pacific Avenue. Organizers included the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización and East Area UTLA.
Residents continue to report foul odors and flies coming from the site of the week-long fire, which started on the rooftop of the building east of downtown Los Angeles. Residents are demanding a full environmental investigation, a thorough cleanup of the surrounding area, immediate housing relief for affected families, transparency regarding state emergency funding and accountability for Lineage and government agencies involved in the response.
The rally comes a day after the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced it would increase financial penalties up to $2,000 per day against Lineage for ongoing public health violations at the site. The health department has issued six citations against Lineage since July 23.
Initially, the county fined the company $500 per day for each citation.
On Wednesday, Mayor Karen Bass issued two executive orders on recovery and city resources. Bass announced an executive order Friday directing city departments to delay rebuilding plan requests at the Lineage Logistics site
The fire broke out June 17 at the warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St., sending thick smoke into the air and prompting officials to warn nearby residents to remain indoors. The city, county and state issued local emergency declarations in the days that followed. It took more than a week to fully douse the fire.
Lineage has been removing the food waste as part of its recovery process. The company said on July 25 that all food waste from the burned-out part of the building had been sealed in deodorized containers and was being transported off-site.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although Lineage officials have said they believe it started while a subcontractor for Altus Power, which owns the rooftop solar array, was testing the system. Altus Power has said the cause has not been determined, and its primary concern remains the surrounding community.
