Mayor Declares Local Emergency as Boyle Heights Cold-Storage Fire Persists

Firefighters are battling a complex fire at the 500,000-square-foot Lineage Big Bear cold-storage facility on South Los Palos Street in Boyle Heights. The building, constructed with steel walls, dense foam insulation and an ammonia-based refrigeration system, ignited on Wednesday and has required continuous aerial water drops and the use of fire-retardant gel to keep the blaze contained.

"The best way to describe this is like a giant cooler," L.A. Fire Chief Jamie Moore said, noting that the foam insulation burns slowly and the ammonia may have fueled the initial fire.

Helicopters contracted by the county are dropping about 3,000 gallons of water at a time, while large aerial ladder pipes deliver thousands of gallons per minute onto the structure. As of Saturday, crews had limited the fire to roughly half of the building, but the remaining half holds an estimated 85 million pounds of frozen food that is beginning to thaw.

"All that food is slowly beginning to rot. It's no longer frozen," Moore warned, adding that the contents include meat products such as chicken, beef, pork and fish, raising concerns about potential biohazard risks.

No injuries have been reported, and officials have not ordered evacuations or shelter-in-place, though residents with sensitivity to smoke have been advised to stay indoors. Mayor Bass emphasized the focus on public safety and the need to prevent toxic smoke from the chemicals used in the refrigeration system.

"We are going to be distributing masks and air filters," Bass said, noting that two shelters have opened at the Pecan Recreation Center and City Terrace Park.

Bass issued a local emergency declaration to give the city greater flexibility in coordinating response efforts, securing additional resources, and seeking state and federal assistance. The declaration also activates the Emergency Operations Center and requests regulatory waivers from Governor Gavin Newsom.

County Supervisor Hilda Solis highlighted the fire’s impact radius of about 2.5 miles, affecting roughly 250,000 households in East Los Angeles. Air quality officials extended a particle-pollution advisory after PM2.5 levels rose to unhealthy readings.

Lineage, the tenant-operator of the facility, said the fire likely started during testing of a third-party solar-panel contractor’s equipment on the roof and that no hazardous materials are stored on site. The company reported that ammonia has been pumped out and removed.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Jon O'Brien cautioned that extinguishing the blaze could take days or weeks because deep pockets of smoldering fire remain beneath debris and solar panels.

Fire crews continue to monitor the structure, adjust tactics, and work toward fully containing the fire while mitigating environmental and health impacts for the surrounding community.