Air quality officials confirm removal of millions of pounds of decaying food from Boyle Heights warehouse

South Coast Air Quality Management District said the removal of millions of pounds of decaying food from the Lineage Logistics warehouse in Boyle Heights marks the completion of a major cleanup phase that began after a fire in late June. An enforcement team inspected the site on Saturday and a seven-day period to clear additional debris and to power-wash and disinfect the facility has now started.

The building contains two large freezers; the eastern unit, largely destroyed by the blaze, was cleared and sanitized earlier, while the western freezer, which escaped fire damage, still held bulk meat and seafood that remained for weeks. Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado noted that the company missed the city-imposed August 14 deadline for waste removal, adding that the deadline had already been extended to August 20 after Lineage argued it could not begin cleanup until July 7.

In a statement, Lineage Logistics said the food removal was achieved through “hundreds of workers on site every day” and that the company expects to spend more than $100 million on the overall cleanup. The firm emphasized that it will continue the effort until the job is finished.

The district has recorded over 4,900 odor complaints linked to the site and issued 38 violation notices for public nuisance. Three local community groups filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the company, alleging failure to disclose chemicals released during the fire. Regulators said Lineage must maintain negative air pressure and keep air-pollution control equipment operating during the ongoing sanitation work.