Cleanup of the fire-damaged Lineage warehouse is now 90% complete, the company said, revising figures released earlier this week after air quality officials determined the amount of waste at the facility was greater than originally reported or estimated.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said it now believes the amount of waste at the Boyle Heights warehouse exceeded Lineage’s initial estimates. As a result, the agency directed the company to correct its cleanup figures and reports to accurately reflect the progress of the work.
Lineage had previously reported removing the equivalent of 101% of the estimated waste from the warehouse. The company now puts the cleanup at 90% complete and released new photos showing conditions inside and around the facility.
South Coast AQMD continues to conduct daily inspections at the warehouse. The agency is also reviewing waste disposal data and conducting independent assessments of emissions from the site.
Lineage has missed two cleanup deadlines, including one set by the city. Residents have now been waiting nearly two months for the work to be completed and say they are exhausted by the odor and flies that have plagued the surrounding neighborhood.
The deadline approaches in the cleanup efforts at the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights. Brittany Hope reports for the NBC4 News at 6 a.m. on Aug. 20, 2026.
“It’s not maybe as frequent as before, not consistent, but there will be at times where it still smells heavy,” neighbor Ashley Silva said.
Silva said residents are beginning to regain some sense of normalcy and can spend more time outside, but the lingering odor remains a problem.
“We can at least go outside for a while. But, um, I mean, it’s not a pleasant smell, so it’s still troublesome,” Silva said.
Some food vendors in the area said customer traffic has begun to pick up. Still, after nearly two months of dealing with the odor, patience among residents and business owners is wearing thin.
Maria Ramirez, a food vendor, said there are no clear signs of when the situation will end and the community will be able to return to normal.
Silva also expressed concern about the impact on other residents, including children and people with health conditions.
“It doesn’t just, you know, affect us, but other people as well, you know, like people with, um, any conditions that they may have or little ones,” Silva said.
Neighbors say improvement is not enough. They want the odor gone, the cleanup completed and their lives back to normal.
The cleaning and disinfection deadline is Aug. 27.