Fire chiefs give major update on warehouse inferno that smothered LA under a toxic cloud of smoke
A warehouse fire that’s been raging out of control for nearly a week might finally be slowing down thanks to the efforts of Los Angeles firefighters.The blaze at Lineage Logistics broke out Wednesday, June 17, at the 500,000 square foot cold-storage facility on South Los Palos Street in Boyle Heights.“LAFD firefighters continue to make significant progress at the Palos Incident through coordinated suppression operations and heavy equipment support,” LAFD announced in an announcement Sunday night.“Crews have removed sections of the exterior wall allowing for more effective access to interior fire areas, giving them the ability to apply large volumes of water… Fire conditions along the exterior portions of the structure have been largely knocked down… Smoke conditions have improved significantly and are expected to continue improving as firefighters make progress extinguishing the fire,” the statement continued.The massive fire sent large plumes of black smoke into the sky, impacting communities throughout the Los Angeles region.
As a result, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) issued a particle pollution advisory that lasted until Monday 12:30 p.m.A shelter-in-place was also initially ordered last Wednesday but was lifted a few days later.
To combat the fires, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a State of Emergency on Saturday, which allows the state to provide “additional assistance and resources as needed to support response and recovery efforts and mitigate impacts to surrounding communities.”Despite the progress, the building’s construction is proving to be a nuisance.The interior rack systems are supporting parts of the collapsed roof, which creates complex and unstable conditions according to LAFD.
“I would anticipate this smoke for about two more days, possibly three,” LAFD Chief Jaime Moore said in a Sunday news conference.Lineage Logistics currently operates the warehouse but has claimed that it does not ow...