A large fire at a cold-storage warehouse in Los Angeles has led city officials to declare a local emergency as concerns grow over potential biohazard risks from millions of pounds of spoiled food. The blaze, which began Wednesday at the Lineage Logistics facility in Boyle Heights, has produced thick smoke spreading across much of the city, prompting health warnings and calls for residents to stay indoors.

The fire initially escalated into a hazardous materials incident after firefighters detected an ammonia leak at the site. Fire crews succeeded in containing the flames and neutralizing the chemical threat; however, the fire reignited Thursday and flared up again Friday due to shifting winds pushing the flames deeper into the extensive warehouse. By Saturday morning, dense smoke was visible over areas including Downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Hollywood, where air quality measurements reached unhealthy levels.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) advised residents to keep windows closed and use air conditioning or HVAC systems on recirculation mode to minimize exposure to smoke and odors. An LAFD spokesperson emphasized the harmful nature of the smoke’s byproducts but noted that widespread hazardous chemicals have not been detected in the air. “From the beginning, we never found any hazardous materials within that smoke,” said LAFD Capt. Branden Silverman. He added that while no smoke is ideal, firefighters’ aggressive efforts to extinguish hot spots—often buried beneath collapsed debris and thousands of rooftop solar panels—have increased the amount of visible smoke.

Further complicating firefighting efforts, the warehouse’s refrigeration systems shut down during the incident, resulting in approximately 85 million pounds of meat, fish, and grain products beginning to rot inside the facility. LAFD Chief Jaime Moore described the food as unsalvageable and classified the situation as a biohazard emergency. “What we’re dealing with now is 85 million pounds of food that’s about to go bad and to spoil,” Moore said during a press briefing Saturday.

In response to the scale and complexity of the incident, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a Declaration of Local Emergency on Saturday afternoon. The declaration aims to mobilize additional resources and facilitate state and federal assistance. “While the LAFD continues making progress, this is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident,” Bass stated, underscoring the necessity of extra support to protect public safety.

Officials have set up 24-hour smoke relief centers for residents affected by the lower air quality, with warnings expected to remain in effect at least through Sunday. Fire officials cautioned that the incident remains active and ongoing, requiring continued vigilance from emergency responders and the community.