Lineage sues solar operator Altus Power over Boyle Heights warehouse fire

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Lineage Logistics, operator of the massive Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for more than a week, sued the owner of the solar array on the building's roof Thursday, alleging one of its contractors sparked the conflagration.

Lineage contends in its Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that Altus Power Inc. and its contractor Pearce Services were responsible for starting the June 17 fire, which led to a more than two-month cleanup operation during which noxious odors, rodents and insects plagued nearby communities, prompting multiple fines assessed against Lineage.

The suit, which was submitted to the court Thursday but still being processed for filing, alleges negligence, negligent supervision, health and safety code violations and breach of contract.

"This lawsuit is about Altus and Pearce starting this fire and then being nowhere to be found when the community needed help," Greg Lehmkuhl, president/CEO of Lineage, said in a statement announcing the legal action. "From the moment it started, Lineage stood alone in supporting remediation and cleanup efforts for a neighborhood impacted through absolutely no fault of our own."

"The record is clear: this was a solar fire. Cold storage is not a risk to communities -- it is an essential service that lowers food costs, expands food access and creates jobs," he said. "We are grateful to each and every worker who contributed over 210,000 hours to complete this unprecedented and complex cleanup in record time. We want to thank the community of Boyle Heights and East LA for their patience during this process. With the cleanup completed, now is the right time to pursue accountability and recover the substantial losses we incurred as a result of Altus' and Pearce's negligence."

A representative of Los Palos Street Operating, a subsidiary of Altus, issued a statement saying Lineage was simply trying to deflect attention from its own culpability in the fire.

"Lineage's statement is riddled with misinformation in a blatant attempt to deflect blame for their role in this matter, including any damage caused by the release of substances from the warehouse, not the solar panel," according to the statement. "We take safety extremely seriously and our strong safety record reflects our rigorous protocols and response procedures, in contrast to Lineage, whose track record is well documented. As tenant-operator that controlled the facility, Lineage is legally responsible for overseeing the site remediation, including cleanup, debris removal and remediation resources. We will contest the claims in court."

Lineage announced over the weekend that it had completed the removal and cleanup of more than 89 million pounds of food waste at the burned-out cold storage warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St. Company officials estimated that remediation and cleanup effort cost roughly $100 million.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District confirmed Saturday that Lineage had cleared away all of the food and debris, and power-washed and disinfected the interior of the 491,000-square-foot site.

Lineage officials contended soon after the fire erupted that it was sparked on the roof of the building by a contractor working on the solar panels owned by Altus. An official cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Altus officials issued a statement soon after the fire started stressing that no cause had been determined.

"Our first concern is for the residents of Boyle Heights, everyone affected by this fire, and for the firefighters working to contain it," the company said in its June statement. "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."

Initial video from the fire showed the blaze burning on the roof of the building, with the flames ultimately engulfing and destroying much of the massive structure, leaving the frozen goods inside to rot.

More than 85 million pounds of food were stored inside, and food that began rotting following the blaze caused persistent foul odors in surrounding neighborhoods and attracted rats.

As the cleanup operation dragged on, Lineage came under fire from residents and elected officials accusing the company of failing to meet deadlines for completion of the work, and failing to provide adequate support for residents.

Lineage officials have insisted the work was carried out in the most expeditious way possible, and said the company was committed to supporting residents.

The lawsuit notes that another fire broke out on the solar array atop the warehouse in August 2024, prompting Lineage to demand enhanced safety measures before the array was re-energized. That demand led to Altus' hiring of Pearce for the reconfiguration work, Lineage contends.

According to Lineage, more than 200 connector failures had been identified in the solar array by May of this year, "including the section where the June fire would begin."

The lawsuit alleges that "days before the catastrophic fire, Lineage specifically requested that Altus and Pearce not re-energize the solar panels before certain critical safety checks had been completed and before Lineage could view records of those safety checks. On information and believe, Altus and Pearce deliberately ignored Lineage's request, prematurely re-energized the solar array and negligently and recklessly caused this devastating fire."

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