Mayor issues 2 executive orders as stench grows from 85M pounds of rotten food in Boyle Heights

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Mayor Karen Bass is vowing accountability following a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights. She issued two executive orders on Monday to help speed up the cleanup and hold those responsible for the fire accountable.

The stench of 85 million pounds of rotting food inside the burned down cold storage warehouse can be smelled from miles away, and that's impacting businesses in the area.

In a major move on Monday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said it would not be turning the facility back over to its operator, Lineage Logistics, until the risk of reignition is gone.

At a press conference on Monday, Fire Chief Jamie Moore said there are still hotspots inside the building due to the complicated nature of the fire. He said the building remains compromised.

"We've been hitting the hotspots that are still in there, that are smoldering, by hydraulicing the material that's in there with water cannons," Moore explained.

Bass, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced two emergency executive orders to establish a centralized command structure to get resources to impacted residents, businesses and workers, deploy health screening and mental health community stations, and pursue legal options for cost recovery.

"I will not accept a recovery process that restores the status quo. My responsibility is to ensure that this community is safer moving forward than it was before the fire began. There will be accountability, but there will also be immediate action. That work is already underway," Bass said. "Contaminated food and waste and debris from the Lineage warehouse fire have begun to be transported offsite, outside of Los Angeles, and the cleanup process begins."

In the emergency orders, the city and county hope to recoup the losses from the 13-day incident, which includes compensation for the ongoing environmental hazards.

"I'm also directing the city attorney to pursue every available legal and regulatory avenue to hold the responsible parties accountable," Bass said. "The people of Boyle Heights should not and will not be left to bear the cost of this corporation's actions."

Bass also established strict deadlines for the cleanup process. Lineage Logistics has a strict 45-day period to remove the piles of waste.

The city and county also want to do a full environmental audit to make sure warehouses like this can no longer be placed in sensitive areas.

"Communities like ours have lived alongside warehouses, freeways, heavy industry and pollutions while receiving fewer protections than wealthier neighborhoods," Jurado said. "This fire didn't create environmental injustice; it exposed it."

Chief Science Officer Dr. Nichole Quick with L.A. County Public Health says the food that's burned or continues to rot should not pose long-term health consequences. Air monitoring does not indicate any presence of bacteria, mold or other contaminants.

"We understand that residents continue to be concerned about odors from the perishable food, and the potential for fly and rodent impacts in the community," Quick said. "But odors themselves can be unpleasant and can lead to temporary irritation of eyes, nose, throat. Can lead to nausea, headaches, and so forth."

An estimated 5,000 truckloads of spoiled food will be removed and taken to landfills in Ventura and Riverside counties, according to Bass' office. The trucks will avoid residential streets and travel along existing hauling routes used by a nearby recycling facility.

Lineage and its contractors began moving food debris stored at the warehouse on Sunday.

"The fire may be knocked down, but this crisis is not over for the families, workers, students and small businesses living with the odor, pests, truck traffic and uncertainty left behind," Jurado said in a statement. "As 85 million pounds of spoiled food are removed from this site, my priority is making sure the cleanup is safe, transparent and accountable to the people of Boyle Heights -- not just to the agencies or the company responsible for this property. Residents deserve clear testing results, strong public health protections, real resources and a recovery process shaped by the community most impacted."

Local businesses impacted by strong odor

Just a half mile away from the warehouse is Picaresca Tío Pepe. Patrons and employees are usually greeted by the smell of fresh coffee, but the community has been unable to escape the rancid stench for the last several days.

"It smells like something dying," said shift leader Daniel Olvera.

Sydney Schwartz, who works near the warehouse, said the smell is "not pleasant at all."

The fire burned for eight days before the flames were officially extinguished on Thursday. Community members are anxious to have it cleaned up.

"It kind of worries me that the cleanup is going to take a lot longer than we're expecting. Because it just looks like pallets on pallets and stuff," Olvera added.

Lineage says there are plans to disinfect and control pests and odor, but the fire's impact continues to be felt. The company has hired Signal Restoration Services, which will be in charge of the cleanup.

"The previous week, foot traffic has been so slow. We haven't even been putting out our patio furniture just because the smell outside isn't the most favorable, so folks, I'm pretty sure wouldn't want to be eating or drinking coffee outside," Olvera said.

Picaresca Tio Pepe brought in air purifiers and is working to keep the atmosphere as pleasant as possible while the cleanup of the rotting food down the street gets underway.

"We don't have air conditioning in this location. We have a swamp cooler, which I believe brings air from outside, so this whole past couple of weeks, we've really been just not turning it on or keeping it off," Olvera said.