After days of thick smoke covering the region from the warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, conditions are finally improving — a positive sign for some nearby businesses that say the smoke has been keeping customers away.
The fire sparked last Wednesday at the 500,000-square-foot building, which was being leased by Lineage for use as a cold-storage facility and holding about 85 million pounds of frozen food. The blaze appears to have originated in the solar panels, but the exact cause is still under investigation.
Nearly a week later, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore says crews have made significant progress on the fire, adding that they hope to have it out by midweek. But some businesses are still dealing with the impact of the air quality.
Claudia Hernandez, the owner of the food truck Mariscos El Manglar, located less than a mile from the fire, says she’s seen a 70% drop in customers over the past week.
“It’s really bad, and we close early because the smoke is really bad and people don’t come,” Hernandez said. “It’s because no sales, no people. It’s really bad for my business because no money, no person.”
Some grocery stores in the area are also struggling.
“It’s been very slow. Sales are down,” Gambino Torrio Saenz, who works at Solanda Food Outlet, told NBC Los Angeles. “The last five days, it has been very bad. Today it picked up a little bit more since the air is not as bad as it was a couple of days. When it first started, it was terrible.”
Two emergency shelters have been established for smoke relief and resources: Pecan Recreation Center and City Terrace Park. Those in Boyle Heights who need air purifiers, masks or assistance can call 311 for information.
As crews try to extinguish the flames, city and county leaders are trying to help people impacted. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.