BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Lineage cold-storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that burned for more than a week has been officially declared knocked down, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The inferno began shortly before 2:30 p.m. on June 17 at the facility located in the 1400 block of South Los Palos Street. A knockdown was declared just before 6 p.m. on June 24.
The fire is believed to have started while Altus Power contractors were conducting testing on a rooftop solar array, Lineage said to Eyewitness News in a statement. Altus Power responded, disputing that conclusion.
LAFD initially said it expected to extinguish the fire by midweek, and they're aiming to return the building back over to its owner by Friday.
Air quality concerns persist for large swaths of Los Angeles, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and South Coast Air Quality Management District have not detected anything beyond normal combustible material typical after a fire, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency June 20 for Los Angeles County in response to the firefight, directing state agencies to support local response efforts and help protect public health and safety. That came after Mayor Karen Bass issued a local emergency declaration to mobilize additional resources to the city for the days ahead.
The Los Angeles Fire Department described the massive blaze as a "very complex" fire with numerous hazards for firefighters.
No injuries have been reported.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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A special particle pollution advisory has been extended through Saturday, June 20, at 12:30 p.m., the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced on Friday.
The agency said the fire is still smoldering and firefighting efforts are likely to continue.
Firefighters have been facing significant challenges battling the fire, which involves large stacks of materials inside the warehouse and hazards on the roof.
"So there's a lot of pallets of food that go up to maybe two and a half stories high, and it's hard to get in there and on top of it, they had solar panels on the roof," explained Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Overnight, crews requested aerial water drops and worked to remove ammonia lines and numerous lithium batteries used to power forklifts.
High-voltage lines connected to the solar panels pose an additional risk.
"The fire is in the ceiling, in the roofing, which has 9 inches of foam," said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicolas Prange.
Officials say removing hazards one by one is a slow, methodical process that could take several days to complete.
In the meantime, smoke continues to drift into surrounding neighborhoods.
"The smell is just pretty bad, and my room just smells the entire time," said Jesus Fuentes.
Fire officials said the smoke does not contain dangerous substances beyond typical combustion byproducts, but they still caution against exposure.
"There are no dangerous substances in the smoke besides the general products of combustion, which we don't recommend anyone breathe," Prange said.
Meantime, local leaders have been conducting outreach in the area, distributing masks and addressing community concerns.
City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and her staff went door to door to assist residents, particularly those who may face language or access barriers.
"We needed to do immediate action and outreach to provide the services for our constituents who are sometimes monolingual," Jurado said. "They don't have access to technology."
Officials also plan to study potential long-term health impacts.
Solis noted that the same warehouse has caught fire twice in the past two years, raising questions about safety measures at large facilities with solar panel installations.
"There's not many buildings that have this large of a facility with so many solar panels, so it's going to be something that I think we're going to look at," Solis said.
Cloud cover in the area has kept smoke closer to the ground, prompting advisories for residents to stay indoors and keep windows closed.
However, some say following that guidance has been difficult due to heat.
"The house is hot right now ... its' fine, but yesterday and the day before, it was really hot," said Edwin Lopez.
A shelter-in-place order has been lifted in the Boyle Heights area days after a massive warehouse fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced Friday morning.
However, the region is still seeing significant impacts from the smoke. A special particle pollution advisory issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District is still in effect.
Smoke is still billowing out of the Boyle Heights building, days after the giant warehouse fire broke out. That's keeping air quality concerns top of mind for residents in the immediate area and beyond.
The smell of smoke is covering large swath as an air quality alert remains in effect for areas into West Hollywood, Downey and Compton.
Many in those areas, including near the ABC7 studio in Glendale, will likely notice the smell. No new fires have been reported as of Friday morning.
A special particle pollution advisory will be in effect at least through 12:30 p.m., the South Coast Air Quality Management District said.
