Millions of pounds of decaying food have been removed from the burned Lineage Logistics facility in Boyle Heights, a significant step in the prolonged cleanup process that has troubled residents for over two months.
Regulators from the South Coast Air Quality Management District confirmed Saturday that the company had completed the removal of the food waste. This marks the conclusion of a major phase of the cleanup, which commenced after the warehouse fire was extinguished in late June. An enforcement team from the air quality regulator inspected the site on Saturday, initiating a seven-day timeline for the removal of remaining debris and the sanitation of the large freezer.
The warehouse contains two freezers. While the eastern freezer, largely destroyed by the fire, was cleared and sanitized earlier, substantial quantities of meat and seafood remained in the western freezer, which was unaffected by the blaze. Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado stated that Lineage Logistics significantly exceeded the city's August 14 deadline for waste removal from this freezer, noting that the company had been given 45 days, but the removal was only completed on day 60 of the city's timeline.
Jurado described the completion of food waste removal as "overdue progress" but emphasized that it "does not erase two months of odors, pests, and disruption." Lineage Logistics had contested the city's deadline, asserting that cleanup operations could not begin until July 7, which would have shifted the 45-day deadline to August 20, a date the company also missed. The air quality management district has received over 4,900 odor complaints linked to the warehouse and has issued 38 violation notices to Lineage for public nuisance.
In related developments, three community groups filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Lineage in federal court on Friday. These groups allege that the company failed to disclose all chemicals emitted during the fire, potentially posing health risks to local residents. Lineage Logistics has not yet responded to requests for comment. Air quality regulators have mandated that Lineage maintain negative air pressure and operate air pollution control equipment during the ongoing sanitation process to mitigate fumes.
