CA: BOYLE HEIGHTS WAREHOUSE FIRE HEATED COMM MTNG
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BOYLE HEIGHTS, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Boyle Heights residents converged on the Southern California Air Quality Management District hearing in Diamond Bar on Wednesday to voice their continued concerns over the putrid smell coming from the burnt-out Lineage warehouse.
“The smell is horrendous, horrific,” said one of the many speakers.
Now about two months removed from the day the blaze first erupted, leaving severe damage to the cold storage facility and 85 million pounds of food to rot, residents say their day-to-day lives are still being impacted as the lengthy cleanup process continues.
Wednesday’s meeting saw more than 60 members of the public address the AQMD board to explain how the ongoing situation has affected them.
“This is just one more toxic example on top of another,” said one woman.
She was one of many who emphasized the fact that it wasn’t just a fire that burned down a building in their neighborhood, but a toxic fire that left behind potential health hazards for the thousands living nearby.
“Everything out there is toxic now. AQMD, you guys are responsible for that,” one speaker said.
The meeting comes after Lineage Logistics, which operates the 500,000-square-foot facility, has already been cited by AQMD officials for the rotten odor. They’ve also been cited for rodent and pest control violations by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, all issues that have extended to people living in the surrounding area.
“I support the order to hold Lineage accountable for the harm they’ve done to East LA and Boyle Heights,” said another speaker, many of whom arrived via buses that were provided by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents their neighborhoods.
Lineage officials said earlier this week that they’ve removed approximately 80% of the rotten food so far, and that they expect to have cleanup finished by the end of next week. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass penned a letter to company shareholders hoping to highlight the negative impacts that residents have had to deal with in the wake of the fire.
Bass also spoke during Wednesday’s meeting.
“I am here because I want to speak alongside the Boyle Heights and East LA community who have endured unacceptable conditions for nearly two months,” Bass said. “To this day, the putrid offensive odor coming from the tens of millions of pounds of rotting food in the warehouse is unbearable. Now flies, rats and other pests have infested the community and we are most concerned that schools are preparing to reopen amid unresolved concerns around air quality.”
She went on to address the litany of issues that have come from the fire’s aftermath, as well as the work that local leaders have done to try helping residents.
“The residents and business owners in Boyle Heights and East LA deserve to breathe clean air in their homes, in schools, and in their workplaces,” Bass said. “So, I urge the Hearing Board to leverage the full extent of its oversight and enforcement authority to issue a strong Order of Abatement with the maximum penalties for the ongoing air quality violations, including maximum financial fines.”
They’re hopeful that AQMD officials can take further action against Lineage for the smell.
“AQMD is an enforcement agency, so enforce,” one speaker said. “Unfortunately, AQMD and other agencies and electives have not stepped up with the urgency required.”
Another meeting is scheduled on Thursday, when board members will hear more from the public, and a possible public address from a Lineage official. At the meeting, they’ll consider an abatement, which would call for a larger, faster cleanup process and allow for the AQMD to impose its highest fines on Lineage for each notice of violation that the district issues.
So far, Lineage has received nine violations related to the smell. AQMD has received more than 1,700 public complaints in the last month, according to documents shared at the meeting.
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