Fire·Boyle Heights
Helicopters drop water on smoldering Boyle Heights warehouse as mayor declares emergency
Los Angeles Fire Department helicopters dropped water on a burning cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights on Saturday, the fourth day of a fire that led Mayor Karen Bass to declare a local emergency.
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LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Fire Department helicopters dropped water on a still-burning cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights on Saturday morning, June 20, the fourth day of a fire that led Mayor Karen Bass to declare a local emergency.
The fire broke out shortly after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the roof of the 491,000-square-foot building at 1400 S. Los Palos St., operated by Lineage Logistics. Fire officials said it started in a rooftop solar array.
Firefighters stopped the roof fire that evening, but hot spots flared up again. Early Friday, fire trucks still lined Union Pacific Avenue next to the warehouse as smoke hung over the area. Crews fought it with continuous water drops from at least three helicopters and ladder pipes from the ground, a tactic rarely used on a building fire.
About 85 million pounds of meat, fish and other food inside began to spoil after the refrigeration shut off. Bass declared a local emergency Saturday, and Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued an emergency declaration.
By Sunday morning, crews had torn away parts of the warehouse's outer walls to reach the fire, and smoke was still pouring from the building.
No injuries were reported. The fire was finally knocked down June 24, and the cause remains under investigation.
More footage from the scene
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