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BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Lineage Logistics has completed removal of bulk food waste from its burned-out Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse, air quality regulators said Saturday.
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This comes more than two months after a massive fire left millions of pounds of food to rot and prompted months of complaints from nearby residents.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said Saturday that inspectors confirmed the bulk food waste has been removed from the facility.
“Today, South Coast AQMD’s enforcement team was on site at Lineage Logistics in Boyle Heights and confirmed that Lineage has completed removal of the bulk food waste, marking the completion of a major phase of cleanup following weeks of persistent odors impacting surrounding communities,” the agency said in a statement.
The warehouse on South Los Palos Street stored more than 85 million pounds of food when a fire erupted June 17 and burned for more than a week.
What’s next?
The completion of food removal starts a seven-day clock for Lineage to finish final cleanup activities required under an abatement order, according to SCAQMD.
Lineage said in a statement Saturday that crews will now start on those final cleanup activities.
“Lineage Logistics has completed removal of all food waste from the Freezer 1 Enclosure at its Boyle Heights facility,” the company said. “The company is now transitioning to power washing, cleaning, and disinfecting the interior of the facility to ensure elimination of odors within the community.”
The company added that it expects odor impacts to continue decreasing as work progresses.
Where is the waste going?
Some of the spoiled food removed from the warehouse has been transported to disposal and recycling facilities outside Los Angeles County.
Lineage has published information detailing truck haul routes, destination facilities and disposal locations used during the cleanup effort.
One landfill receiving material from the Boyle Heights site has drawn complaints from residents in Simi Valley’s Big Sky community.
Simi Valley neighbors complain about foul odors from landfill receiving Boyle Heights fire debris
Residents there told Eyewitness News they have experienced strong odors they believe are connected to rotting food being transported from the Lineage facility.
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The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District said it issued a notice of violation requiring the landfill operator to address the issue.
“It’s really bad,” resident Pradepa Nachimuthu told Eyewitness News. “It’s at a point that we are even thinking, like, should we live here?”
Lineage missed multiple deadlines
Lineage’s completion of food removal comes after weeks of disputes over cleanup deadlines. Mayor Karen Bass had set an Aug. 14 deadline, but the company maintained it was operating under a separate 45-day timeline that began July 7 after the Los Angeles Fire Department ended its fire watch.
The delays drew criticism from city officials and residents. “They said they were going to finish on one day and they keep moving the goal post, so we really don’t know,” Bass previously told Eyewitness News.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it has issued more than 30 citations totaling about $60,000 for conditions that allowed fly breeding and created a public nuisance. Officials said inspections at the site are ongoing.
Residents say impacts continue
For weeks, residents in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles have complained about foul odors, pests and concerns about potential health impacts linked to the spoiled food.
“My daughters have asthma, so they don’t live with us no more,” East Los Angeles resident George Ortega previously told Eyewitness News.
Another resident, Hugo Garcia, said the situation forced him to move relatives out of the neighborhood temporarily.
Residents have also reported increased electricity bills from running air conditioners continuously to keep odors out of their homes and concerns about rats and flies in the area.
Could the warehouse be rebuilt?
The future of the facility remains uncertain.
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved several motions aimed at strengthening the city’s response to the disaster and assisting affected residents.
The action followed recommendations from the Planning and Land Use Management Committee that the city deny permits to rebuild or reconstruct the warehouse and increase penalties for violations and noncompliance to as much as $1 million.
Those recommendations are expected to come before the full City Council at a future meeting.
The mayor reiterated her opposition Saturday to rebuilding efforts and said she has directed city attorneys to pursue litigation, liens and other options for cost recovery and penalties.
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“Lineage and Chill Build do not deserve to rebuild,” she said.
LA Council committee backs limits on Boyle Heights warehouse rebuild
City News Service contributed to this report.