A fire has continued to burn for six days at a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights, presenting significant challenges for firefighters due to the building’s unusual construction and contents. The structure, roughly the size of a city block, is filled with an estimated 85 million pounds of frozen food, according to Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) officials.

The facility’s design resembles a large-scale refrigeration unit more than a typical warehouse. It consists of metal walls and thick foam insulation, which have complicated efforts to dismantle the building and access the fire. Jamie Stewart, a public information officer with the LAFD, described the structure as akin to “two giant Yeti coolers” placed side by side. Inside, steel racks soaring approximately 50 feet high and extending 600 feet long support the frozen inventory.

There have been additional safety concerns as large sections of the roof have collapsed onto the storage racks, rendering it unsafe for firefighters to enter the building. These conditions have forced firefighting teams to adapt their strategies, relying heavily on aerial resources such as water-dropping helicopters and surveillance drones to monitor and combat the blaze.

Efforts from the roof have also been limited by the presence of solar panels and concerns that added weight could jeopardize the structural integrity of the already compromised building, according to LAFD Capt. Anthony Tubbs. As a result, firefighters have had to exercise caution, balancing firefighting tactics with the hazards presented by the facility’s construction and contents.

Officials warn that due to these complexities, extinguishing the fire may still take several days. The combination of the facility's size, the frozen materials inside, and the structural damage continues to hamper containment efforts.