Anger grows in Boyle Heights as warehouse fire leaves stench, flies and vermin in its wake

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Set us as preferred Nearly one month after a fire destoyed a massive cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights, the neighborhood has been overcome by the stomach-churning stench of rotting food.As facility operator Lineage Logistics works to remove over 85 million tons of weeks-old food from its 500,000-square-feet warehouse, the rancid odors have attracted throngs of rats and swarms of flies, as a foul-smelling brownish liquid pours from the seams of the building.Now, with a heat wave descending over much of Southern California, residents worry the odor could get even worse and scores of residents have called air quality regulators to complain.

At the same time, environmental groups are accusing Lineage representatives and emergency responders of downplaying the risks pose by chemicals released during the fire.Boyle Heights, a neighborhood that has been subjected to decades of toxic pollution from rail yards and other industries, has again become the center of attention of another environmental disaster.

Already, the official response to the Lineage fire has eroded trust in government agencies, residents say.On Tuesday, Sen.Alex Padilla visited the gutted warehouse alongside L.A.

Fire Chief Jaime Moore, and representatives of the South Coast Air Quality Management District and a contingent of environmental organizations.Padilla, along with U.S.

Sen.Adam Schiff and Rep.

Jimmy Gomez, wrote a letter to the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, calling on the federal agency return to the cleanup zone to monitor air and water quality.“Given the materials present in the warehouse, we are concerned about the long-term health and environmental impacts from contaminated smoke and water runoff on communities surrounding the warehouse,” the letter read.Joe Lyou, president of nonprofit Coalition for Clean Air, told Sen.

Padilla that...