Cleanup operations commenced Friday morning at a large cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights following a devastating fire that burned for several days and left millions of pounds of food spoiled. The 500,000-square-foot facility, located in an industrial area between the 5 Freeway and a Union Pacific railroad terminal, sustained severe damage after the blaze reportedly started during rooftop solar panel work on June 17.
In the days after the fire began, thick smoke and the odor of decomposing meat permeated the surrounding neighborhood. By Friday, those scents had diminished significantly, replaced by the hum of diesel engines powering cleanup equipment. Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), who had battled to control the fire—at one point forcing crews to fight the blaze from the exterior due to structural instability—were preparing to transfer responsibility for the site’s restoration to the building’s tenant.
Lineage, the tenant operating the cold storage facility, has taken charge of the cleanup, having engaged Signal Restoration Services, a national restoration company, to lead efforts. In a statement, Lineage affirmed its commitment to expediting the cleanup while ensuring compliance with health, safety, and regulatory standards. The company also appealed to city authorities to expedite any necessary permitting to facilitate ongoing remediation.
Fire officials confirmed that the LAFD’s role in active firefighting was ending following the declaration that the fire was “knocked down” Wednesday evening. Nonetheless, some fire personnel remained onsite to monitor for flare-ups as private teams continued to extinguish smoldering hotspots within the structure.
Cleanup teams from Ecology Control Industries and GrayMar Environmental Services were observed working in shifts inside the damaged warehouse. Ecology Control Industries previously assisted with environmental remediation efforts during a fire cleanup in Palisades last year. According to Matthew Negrete, senior project manager for Ecology, crews are deploying vacuum trucks to remove contaminated water, but the duration of cleanup remains uncertain, potentially extending from days into weeks.
To mitigate environmental hazards and limit community impact, workers have installed metal grates and sandbags around storm drains to prevent debris runoff. Mobile lighting and waste management vehicles were stationed around the facility, with large metal containers positioned to collect scorched material and spoiled inventory. Fire department Captain Branden Silverman noted that various strategies, including the potential application of deodorizers to control odors, were under consideration to address the ongoing smell of decomposing food.
Inside the warehouse, remnants of the spoiled inventory remained visible, including packages bearing Costco’s Kirkland Signature label. Representatives from Kirkland Signature had not responded to requests for comment as of Friday.
The multiagency cleanup effort aims to balance rapid site restoration with protecting the surrounding Boyle Heights community from environmental and health risks associated with the burned structure and spoiled goods.