– The fire began June 17, and burned for over a week
– Lineage operates the warehouse but doesn’t own it; it’s owned by Chill Build
– 85 million pounds of frozen food was in the warehouse
– A permit to rebuild was filed Monday, July 28 (six weeks after the fire)
– Karen Bass called it “a slap in the face”
– Councilmember Ysabel Jurado called it “outrageous”
– Lineage says the permit is for normal repair of fire damage
– Bass previously said residents should have a say in whether the company returns
– As of the time of the stories, cleanup was ongoing with rotting food odor and rat infestations
Lineage Logistics filed a permit to rebuild its burned Boyle Heights warehouse Monday
, igniting fury from
Mayor Karen Bass, who said she couldn’t believe the company would even think about starting the rebuilding process while it hasn’t cleaned up the mess from the fire
.
The permit application came to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety on Monday, six weeks after the Lineage cold-storage facility at 1400 South Los Palos Street caught fire shortly before 2:30 p.m. on June 17 and burned until a knockdown was declared June 24
.
The facility had held 85 million pounds of frozen food, which has created a massive biohazard and vector issue; despite 102 truckloads of debris being removed, neighbors are battling a severe rotting odor and rat infestations
.
Bass erupted on social media Tuesday about the filing.
“I can’t believe they would even think about starting the rebuilding process while they haven’t cleaned up the mess they’ve created. That is what Lineage should be solely focused on,” Bass posted on Instagram
.
The mayor’s office vowed action in response.
On Tuesday, her office said it was working on a revision to its executive orders that would reflect concerns about Lineage’s intent to rebuild
.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, 56, who represents the Boyle Heights district, condemned the permit application immediately.
“It is outrageous that Lineage is seeking permits to rebuild while the disaster it created has not even been cleaned up,” Jurado said. “Families are still living with the odor, pests and disruption, and the surrounding neighborhood remains in shamble. At this time, I have no intention of supporting Lineage rebuilding at this site. Given the conditions residents are still enduring and the company’s failure to make this community whole, rebuilding is not even a conversation I am prepared to have,” she added
.
The company defended the filing as standard procedure.
“The application is for a permit to repair the damage from the fire, which was not caused by the cold-storage operations at the facility. This is normal course in the repair process,” Lineage said in a statement
.
According to the application, the work would restore the building to its pre-fire condition with no changes to the building’s footprint, square footage, height, occupancy or use
.
The permit application, which has not yet been approved by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, seeks permission to repair and restore the portions of the cold-storage warehouse damaged by the fire
.
Local residents are mobilized against any return.
Since the fire, the residents in Boyle Heights and the surrounding area have made repeated calls for Lineage not to return to the area, calling the presence of the facility a future and current health risk
.
Bass told residents weeks earlier that she would listen before deciding.
In an interview with Boyle Heights Beat, Bass said she wants to spend more time talking to residents before coming to a decision, saying she wants to spend more time talking to residents before making that choice
.
The company has faced mounting fines as the crisis drags on.
Lineage has racked up fines from both the county health department and the South Coast Air Quality Management District over the last several weeks as residents file complaints over ongoing odor issues
.
In the viral moment that sparked outrage, Boyle Heights residents faced an unprecedented crisis.
The Lineage cold-storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights burned for more than a week, with the inferno beginning shortly before 2:30 p.m. on June 17 at the facility, and a knockdown 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
.
Three weeks after the massive fire broke out, residents and business owners reported severe headaches, eye irritation, and breathing problems from the aftermath
.
Last month, Bass issued orders mandating Lineage remove all food waste within 45 days and mobilizing resources to assist the community
.