Cause of Boyle Heights warehouse fire believed to be testing conducted by solar contractors: Lineage

The company that owns the solar array on the Boyle Heights warehouse responded for the first time a week after the fire broke out.

Lineage Logistics, the tenant-operator of the warehouse, said Monday they believe the fire started when the owner of the solar array, Altus Power, was conducting tests.

On Tuesday, Altus Power released the following statement:

"Our first concern is for the residents of Boyle Heights, everyone affected by this fire, and for the firefighters working to contain it. The cause of the fire where our rooftop solar array is located at the Los Palos Street facility has yet to be determined. We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they investigate."

The company that owns the solar array on the Boyle Heights warehouse responded for the first time a week after the fire broke out.

Crews hope to have the stubborn warehouse fire fully extinguished in the next day or so.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a declaration of a local emergency to mobilize resources in the ongoing fight against a cold-storage fire.

The vote is expected as a formality, with the declaration likely to be ratified.

The declaration, in part, will authorize the county, just like the city, to receive funds and other resources that they need.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jamie Moore said additional resources were brought in to help combat the stubborn fire.

"We have integrated private sector resources directly into this incident command system, which is not something we do routinely, and it has made a meaningful difference," Moore said at a Monday news conference.

After six days and nights of continuous firefighting, a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights continues to burn.

The firefighting effort included high-powered water cannons brought in from out of state, Chinook helicopters conducting repeated water drops over the weekend and a long-arm excavator used to tear siding from the facility.

Moore said Lineage, the tenant-operator of the building, offered to help the response.

"Lineage stepped up and said whatever you need to put this fire out, we will offer it to you. We want to reduce the impact on this community and they felt horrible, as did the building owner himself," Moore said.

The handling of the Boyle Heights warehouse fire has prompted criticism of city and state leaders. It has also prompted accusations.

The handling of the warehouse fire burning in Boyle Heights has prompted questions about how city and state leaders responded to the emergency. It has also prompted accusations.

The blame game has already started over the fire at Lineage Logistics in Boyle Heights, but Eyewitness News did some digging and found out there's some misinformation circulating.

Candidate for governor Steve Hilton is going after Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass. He spoke about the fire at a campaign event in Boyle Heights on Monday.

"The people in charge are just not focused on their jobs. I don't know what's wrong with Karen Bass. She seems to keep leaving the city every time something happens," Hilton said.

When the fire started last Wednesday, Bass was already on her way to Chicago for the opening of the new Barack Obama Presidential Center.

Her office shared the following statement:

"As was shared publicly, she accepted an invitation to attend the opening of the Obama Presidential Center. She was out of L.A. from Wednesday to Thursday and was in close contact with her office and Chief Moore throughout. She and Chief Moore agreed on the use of every extraordinary measure to aggressively fight this fire -- that's what happened, and that's what continues."

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore shared the following statement:

"From the moment this fire started, Mayor Bass was engaged. We spoke that first day, and she was clear: the Los Angeles Fire Department had her full support to do whatever was necessary to achieve a quick extinguishment. That support was consistent throughout this incident."

Bass' office says the mayor was only in Chicago for roughly 24 hours and came back on Thursday of last week. Although some are criticizing her for traveling, her office says she was already on her way to Chicago when the fire first started.

A fire at a Lineage facility in Washington state burned for 60 days in 2024, offering a glimpse of the obstacles firefighters are facing at another Lineage-operated facility in Boyle Heights.

Lineage describes itself as the "largest dynamic temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company." The company may play a significant role in the food supply chain, but its facilities have previously drawn attention because of a major fire.

A fire at a Lineage facility in Washington state burned for 60 days in 2024, offering a glimpse of the obstacles firefighters are facing in Boyle Heights.

In April 2024, a fire broke out at a Lineage facility in Finley, Washington, a small community south of the Tri-Cities. The blaze started in a freezer and quickly produced heavy smoke.

"It was like somebody just took a big black blanket and spread it out over the whole community," said Scott Matthews, a Kennewick resident who said he lived about two miles from the facility.

"It was black, heavy," Matthews said.

The Benton County District 1 Fire Department told Eyewitness News the fire was extremely difficult to fight. Sprinklers went off, creating a mist in the building that made it hard for firefighters to locate the source of the blaze.

At one point, firefighters were unable to enter the facility and had to remain outside near the structure, which a department spokesperson described as the size of five Costcos.

There were no nearby hydrants, requiring crews to truck in water or siphon it from irrigation lines throughout the two-month firefighting effort.

"I feel what the people in L.A. are going through. I truly do because all of us here can relate because we went through it," Matthews said.

Firefighters in Benton County said they were never able to determine the cause of the fire.

Some Finley homeowners who say their health and homes were affected by the blaze have filed a lawsuit against Lineage. According to the lawsuit, "the fire transformed the surrounding area into a long-term hazard zone."

Their attorney, Will Sykes, expressed sympathy for those affected by the Boyle Heights fire.

"All I can say is my heart goes out to the folks in Los Angeles, and obviously we're going to continue fighting for our clients in Finley," Sykes said.

A spokesperson for Lineage said she is working to get Eyewitness News more information on the fire in Finley and the company's response to the allegations in the lawsuit.