California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency on Saturday night in response to the fire that has been burning at a cold-food storage facility in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights for several days, his office said.
“California is mobilizing to support Los Angeles as firefighters and emergency personnel continue their work to contain this fire and protect surrounding communities,” Newsom said in a news release. “While local officials continue to lead this response, the State of California is prepared to safeguard public health, support emergency operations, and assist impacted residents.”
The governor added that the state will coordinate with local agencies to make sure they have support during the firefight and throughout the recovery process. That includes preparing 5.5 million N95 masks, air purifiers, bottled water and other emergency supplies, as well as air quality monitoring, according to his office.
The announcement comes hours after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an emergency declaration for the fire.
“We’re going to declare a joint state of emergency,” the mayor said in an interview with NBC Los Angeles. “We’re in contact with the governor because this has escalated to a problem where we are very concerned about the health of the community.”
The stubborn blaze began Wednesday and caused a shelter-in-place order to be issued for neighboring residents. It was lifted that same evening as the firefight looked optimistic, but flare-ups occurred on Thursday and crews have continued to fight the fire since as smoke from the blaze impacted the region’s air quality.
With an emergency declaration in place, the city will be granted state resources that will help relieve the local resources that have been used against the commercial fire. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said L.A. firefighters have been tasked with not only responding to the blaze in Boyle Heights, but also other community emergencies in their respective domains.
“We clearly need resources from the state to allow us to take the steps that are needed to make sure that this area is safe,” Bass said.
Bass and Moore have expressed concern that because the fire is at a frozen food storage facility, the more than 85 million pounds of food is decaying and creates the possibility of a biohazard. According to the LAFD, Lineage, the facility where the fire is burning, houses frozen bread and meat products, and if those products decay any further, it may create biohazardous conditions.
Moore said the building’s interior has remained relatively cold, measuring about 45 degrees at last check. But he says that won’t last.
“I wouldn’t say it’s potentially dangerous; it would be unpleasant,” Moore said. “It would be a horrible odor, but what we’re looking at is what those gases would produce or create. We’ve already mitigated the hazardous materials portion by removing the ammonia and other chemicals that were used as refrigerants. … Now, it’s really what’s going to happen when this food starts decomposing?”
Bass likened the situation in Boyle Heights, which is east of downtown Los Angeles, to when food rots during a power outage.
“The gas that that emits, that’s the biohazard that we’re worried about,” she said.
Video from NewsChopper4 on Saturday showed smoke still billowing into the sky, impacting the region’s air quality. A smoke advisory remains in effect, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a particle pollution advisory until 12:30 p.m. PT Sunday.
Moore said the fire department has brought in contracted helicopters capable of dropping 3,000 gallons of water at a time — a significant increase from the 480 gallons the LAFD helicopters can carry. Crews are also using a gel-type fire retardant to help smother the fire, with the hope of speeding up suppression efforts.
Those affected by the blaze can call 211 for masks and air purifiers. Additionally, two shelter locations have been opened:
Pecan Rec Center — 145 S. Pecan St., Los Angeles 90033
City Terrace Park — 1126 N. Hazard Ave, Los Angeles 90063
Lineage has been responsive and is cooperating fully with the investigation, according to the LAFD chief.
In 2024, a fire started on the roof of the same facility.
