Massive cleanup begins after Boyle Heights warehouse fire officially knocked down

The Boyle Heights warehouse fire has turned the community in East LA upside down as business owners are dealing with a major financial hit.

Wednesday will mark one week since the fire started at the Lineage cold storage facility in Boyle Heights. And now the Los Angeles Fire Department expects it will be extinguished by midweek and that the building will be returned to its owner by Friday.

Lineage believes the fire started while contractors were conducting testing on a rooftop solar array, but the owner of that solar array says the cause remains under investigation.

This warehouse fire has turned the community in East L.A. upside down as people are having to adjust their daily lives and business owners are dealing with a major financial hit.

Outside it seems like an ordinary store front in Boyle Heights, but seven days into the Lineage warehouse fire, about a mile away, the lingering smoke is felt and California Glass Windows owner Cirino Hernandez has been in the thick of it for nearly every day since then.

"This is what we live on, I've been in this place for more than 20 years, so, it's worth continuing to fight," Hernandez said in Spanish, adding that he's grateful for his children.

Hernandez said that because he's 68 years old, his son takes over the store to limit his father's exposure to poor air quality due to the fire.

Eyewitness News also spoke with Juan Carlos, who owns a taco catering business. He told ABC7 that his businesses is suffering with parties canceled. He's also a part-time delivery driver trying to spread the word that Jim's Burgers is delivering food -- inside there's more workers than customers.

"No one comes. No one comes to eat," said Jim's Burgers owner Manuel Orozco, who like his neighbor Hernandez, has been in that area for two decades.

Orozco has a message for elected leaders -- "we're struggling," he says, adding there's employees, merchandise and rent to pay. But there's also a heavy economic blow.

The state, county and city have declared a State of Emergency. The county also approved a motion authorized by Chair Hilda Solis and Supervisor Janice Hahn that, among other measures, orders for the coordination with city and state agencies to evaluate avenues for compensation for affected residents and businesses.

Hernandez and his son put the spotlight on the residents living closest to the fire and the firefighters battling the blaze.

"They're the real heroes in all this, like it's actually insane and I really didn't think that it was going to be as long as it is," said Francisco Hernandez, Cirino's son.

A couple of the symptoms that some people in the area are reporting include throat irritation and headaches.

A temporary air sensor placed just a few blocks east of the cold storage facility fire in Boyle Heights recorded a dramatic spike in pollution levels overnight, according to real time data from the EPA's AirNow map.

The map, which pulls readings from thousands of sensors across the region, showed the temporary monitor listing moderate air quality on Tuesday. But hourly data revealed that at 9 p.m. Monday, the Air Quality Index surged to 621 - a level far above the 300 mark, which anything above is considered "hazardous".

By Tuesday, the AQI at that same sensor had dropped back to 66, underscoring how quickly readings can shift depending on wind patterns.

Doctors say the AQI number is critical for anyone near wildfire smoke.

Residents can check the AQI from the sensor closest to them at the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map website.

FULL STORY HERE.

A temporary air sensor placed a few blocks from the cold storage facility fire in Boyle Heights recorded a dramatic spike in pollution levels overnight.

Fire officials said investigators have not been able to access the roof and do not yet know the exact cause, but they do not believe it is suspicious.

On Monday, Lineage said in a statement that it believes the fire started on the roof when the owner of the solar array, Altus Power, was doing tests.

Altus Power responded Tuesday, disputing that conclusion.

" ... 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 said in a statement.

Meantime, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ratified an emergency declaration Tuesday, aligning with state and city actions to help direct agencies and resources to an ongoing fire fight.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ratified an emergency declaration Tuesday, aligning with state and city actions to help direct agencies and resources to an ongoing fire fight.

People directly affected by the situation - including those who have endured unhealthy to dangerous air quality for a full week - expressed hope that conditions will improve soon and the firefighting effort will come to an end.

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.