Firefighters work to put out a fire at a warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on 22 June. Photograph: Chelsea Lauren/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenFirefighters work to put out a fire at a warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on 22 June. Photograph: Chelsea Lauren/ShutterstockExplainerA fire in LA has been burning for days. What’s taking so long to put it out?While warehouse fires are often extinguished in a day, the Boyle Heights blaze is on its sixth day. Here’s what to know
Los Angeles firefighters are on their sixth day of battling a fire at a massive warehouse near downtown that stores frozen food.
Smoke has billowed from the warehouse, which was covered in solar panels and insulated like a freezer, filling the air surrounding the roughly 500,000-sq-ft (46,450-sq-meter) facility.
The blaze that broke out last Wednesday has been especially challenging for firefighters due to the nature of the facility operated by Michigan-based Lineage in the Boyle Heights neighborhood east of downtown. Firefighters haven’t been able to enter the building and are instead fighting the blaze from outside.
Read moreAuthorities said a large warehouse fire can typically be put out in a day, but in a cold storage facility, it can take weeks. Jaime Moore, the chief of the Los Angeles fire department, said there are about 85m lbs (38.6m kg) of frozen food stored inside.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, Lineage said in a statement on its website.
The company, which provides temperature-controlled warehouse space to food and beverage makers, believes the fire began when subcontractors were working on solar panels on the roof, the statement said.
Lineage is working with fire officials investigating the blaze, the statement said.
It will at least take a few more days to extinguish the fire, said Jamie Stewart, a Los Angeles fire department spokesperson.
Fires in cold storage facilities often burn for weeks because their heavily insulated ceilings, roofs and walls make them difficult to extinguish, Stewart said.
Firefighters have not been able to enter the building due to the danger posed by floor-to-ceiling heavy-duty steel rack shelving, he said. They also have been unable to quickly ventilate the roof due to the insulation, which is what they would typically do to release gas and smoke and gain visibility inside a warehouse, he said.
In this case, firefighters have been stripping away exterior walls on certain sides of the building and dousing it with heavy streams of water, he said.
“It is to the point now, with this visibility and the smoke, you can’t really assess the safety as far as committing personnel,” Stewart said.
The facility, called Big Bear, stores products such as seafood, pork, beef and poultry before they’re shipped to grocery stores and restaurants on the US west coast, Lineage said on its website.
A message sent to Lineage seeking details about the food and the companies affected by it was not immediately returned.
Read moreAir quality officials said the air around Boyle Heights, a working-class neighborhood, remained very unhealthy on Monday and that particulates in the smoke were also affecting the San Gabriel valley.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a warning about poor air quality until Tuesday afternoon, saying the blaze continues to produce smoke impacting the neighborhood and areas north and east of the fire. The smoke is carrying microscopic particles known as PM2.5 that can penetrate deep into the lungs.
Light winds will also push the smoke in all directions, potentially affecting other parts of metropolitan LA, the district said.
Residents in the most affected area were told to avoid vigorous physical activity; close all windows, doors and vents; turn off air conditioning; and bring people and pets to an inside room because of the risk of hazardous air. Those who need to go outside in the smoky conditions should wear an N95 or a P100 mask, health officials said.
