Smoke from a large warehouse fire in Los Angeles that’s spurred a state of emergency is forecasted to continue impacting a swath of the region Monday, June 22.
For days, authorities have been responding to a fire at a privately owned cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in eastern Los Angeles.
The blaze erupted on June 17 and was seen on the roof of a large building with solar panels. Photos and videos shared to social media early on captured dark plumes of smoke arising out of eastern Los Angeles.
Early in authorities’ fire response, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said that officials believed an ammonia line was comprised at the facility because of a “large, powerful stream of ammonia coming out,” according to a clip published by CBS Los Angeles.
Lineage, the warehousing and logistics company that leases and operates the facility, said “ammonia is used in some of our refrigeration systems that keep the buildings cold.” The company said it “took steps to pump out the ammonia and transport it offsite, removing the possibility of ammonia posing a risk to the community”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a particle pollution advisory due to the fire through Monday afternoon.
What to know about air quality today due to Boyle Heights fire
Black smoke rises from a warehouse fire in Boyle Heights as seen from downtown Los Angeles on June 17, 2026. The Los Angeles Fire Department issued a shelter-in-place order for Boyle Heights due to Hazardous materials after a fire at a storage facility which caused a large cloud of black smoke to be released into the air.
A particle pollution advisory due to the fire is in effect through Monday afternoon, according to the South Coast AQMD, with areas potentially impacted including large swaths of Los Angeles and more east, including into Inland Empire cities like Ontario and Riverside.
South Coast AQMD urges people to limit their exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed.
“Regulatory monitors and sensors show that PM2.5 levels reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Very Unhealthy Air Quality Index (AQI) categories since Saturday night in the areas of central Los Angeles County, San Gabriel Valley, East San Fernando Valley and Northwest San Bernardino Valley,” South Coast AQMD said.
PM2.5 is among the particles that “pose the greatest problems” because it can “generally pass through the nose and throat and enter the lungs,” causing serious health effects for people who are more at risk, such as older adults and children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Unhealthy for sensitive groups, the third category in the AQI, means “members of sensitive groups may experience health effects” due to the air quality. The very unhealthy category is one in which everyone faces a risk of health effects.
The air quality index is divided into six categories. Each category has a description that corresponds with its level of concern, according to AirNow.
What is the air quality near me?
People can check the air quality index of their area at airnow.gov.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boyle Heights fire: See air quality impact for Monday