{"id":370165,"date":"2026-06-22T13:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/370165\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:46:10","slug":"the-boyle-heights-fire-is-latest-pollution-crisis-to-affect-l-a-s-eastside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/370165\/","title":{"rendered":"The Boyle Heights fire is latest pollution crisis to affect L.A.’s Eastside"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A fire in a massive cold storage facility in Boyle Heights that started on Wednesday hasn\u2019t stopped yet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Firefighters have encountered a grab bag of obstacles that has made battling the blaze harder than most, including ammonia leaks, steel walls lined with gas-emitting foam and solar panels. It\u2019s one more of the worst-case scenarios Fate seems to hand Los Angeles in almost everything these last couple of years.<\/p>\n

You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n

L.A. Times reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the morning.<\/p>\n

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n

Both Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass have declared a state of emergency<\/a>, freeing up resources to fight the fire and help residents deal with the aftermath. Already, community groups and the offices of Assemblymember Mark Gonz\u00e1lez and City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado have organized free mask and air purifier giveaways even as air quality officials have twice declared shelter-in-place orders only to quickly rescind them, insisting that residents don\u2019t have too much to worry about right now.<\/p>\n

Speak for yourself.<\/p>\n

I drove up the 5 Freeway on Saturday morning and the smoke emerging from the Lineage Logistics building slowed down traffic considerably, with visibility for the stretch similar to a foggy day and drivers snapping photos of the disaster to our west. A noticeable scent permeated my car even though my windows were rolled up and my air conditioning was set to recirculation.<\/p>\n

The smoke drifted northeast toward East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley when I passed by. Plumes have been spotted as far east as San Bernardino County and as far west as Simi Valley as winds have shifted. On social media, friends posted photos of what should\u2019ve been a beautiful weekend sullied by the latest reminder of where they live.<\/p>\n

Decades of pollution in L.A.\u2019s Eastside<\/p>\n

For decades, Eastside residents have had to deal with pollution like few other areas of L.A. The construction of the 5, 10, 101, 710 and 60 freeways in the 1950s<\/a> carved up communities and forever worsened air quality in the region. The subsequent proliferation of warehouses and factories in the adjoining cities of Vernon and City of Commerce made unpleasant smells and diesel fumes a constant of the region\u2019s regular bouquet. In the 1980s, the famed Mothers of East Los Angeles<\/a> successfully fought against the construction of an above-ground oil pipeline that would\u2019ve crossed Boyle Heights and a proposed hazardous waste incinerator.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir most lasting legacy,\u201d wrote \u201cSmog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air\u201d author Ann Carlson in the recently released book \u201cis that concerns about environmental justice now permeate virtually every policy discussion and decision involving measures to cut air pollution in Southern California.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet the Eastside continues to have to fight for the basic right of being able to live in clean neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

The state has spent more than $700 million remediating<\/a> lead-contaminated soil caused by a battery recycling plant in Vernon that shut down in 2015. A month ago<\/a>, a construction crew ruptured an oil line, spilling about 2,500 gallons of oil onto Avenida Cesar E. Chavez that went down storm drains and into the Los Angeles River.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunities like East L.A., like Boyle Heights, immigrant Latino communities \u2014 hardworking, everyday working-class people \u2014 bear the brunt of air pollution, of environmental hazards, of all these things that for some reason keep happening in the same neighborhoods,\u201d Eastside Assemblymember Jessica M. Caloza said at a Saturday news conference updating residents about the Lineage Logistics inferno<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t even know how bad the aftermath will be. The structure is the size of 10 football fields and can store up to 85 millions pounds of food.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine the food inside your refrigerator with no power, no refrigerant, starting to rot, and then opening up your refrigerator door, that\u2019s about where we are now,\u201d Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jamie Moore said at the news conference. \u201cSo, once we get this fire put out, the challenge that we have before us is the removal of all that product.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wonderful.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s top stories \"Smoke <\/a> <\/p>\n

Smoke shrouds Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

More on the Boyle Heights fireFirefighters cite progress<\/a> as Boyle Heights fire burns for fifth day.Sunday was another day of smoky air, nasty smells and many questions<\/a> in parts of L.A.Here\u2019s how to deal<\/a> with the smoke and health effects of the fire. LAUSD upheavalLos Angeles schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho resigned<\/a> Sunday night.His departure follows an FBI raid on his home and office tied to district contracts. Carvalho insists he committed no wrongdoing.LAUSD, led by acting Supt. Andres Chait, is facing labor deals that will strain future finances.SoCal heat waveTemperatures are expected to jump significantly<\/a> across Southern California from Tuesday to Thursday this week.The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch<\/a> for those days.ElectionsThe man who brought California the top-two open primary now thinks it needs a drastic overhaul<\/a>. In fact, he says the \u201ctop-two\u201d part should be trashed.In L.A., as in other U.S. cities, democratic socialists are poised to expand power<\/a> at City Hall.Meanwhile, AI giants are funding ad wars<\/a> in races across the country.Laguna Beach\u2019s $1.34-billion real estate scandalThe former owner of the historic Hotel Laguna won a $1.34-billion arbitration award<\/a> against investor Mahender Makhijani, who was arrested June 10 by federal authorities, allegedly for bank fraud.Federal prosecutors accuse Makhijani of engineering a $100-million bank fraud, alleging that he used use shell companies, bogus collateral and threats of violence against those who crossed him.What else is going onCommentary and opinionsThe federal inquiry of Newsom creates lots of smoke. Columnist Mark Z. Barabak wonders: Is there any fire<\/a>?Sports columnist Mirjam Swanson argues that Iran is right:<\/a> FIFA and U.S. government must be better World Cup hosts.This morning\u2019s must readOther must readsFor your downtime \"Riders <\/a> <\/p>\n

Marilyn Monroe street impersonator Brooks Ginnan takes selfies with riders during New Theater Hollywood\u2019s \u201cCalifornia Gothic: a Bus Tour\u201d in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

(Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Going outStaying inQuestion of the day: What\u2019s your favorite lesser known hike?<\/p>\n

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n

And finally … the photo of the day \"The <\/a> <\/p>\n

The Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art (LACMA) Art Parade in Los Angeles Saturday<\/p>\n

(Ariana Drehsler\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s great photo is from Arian Drehsler of the LACMA Art Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday. <\/p>\n

Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n

Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporter
Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A fire in a massive cold storage facility in Boyle Heights that started on Wednesday hasn\u2019t stopped yet.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,2299,1085,891,2300,2297,340,2303,63,2302,1086,1459,2301,2298,74,225,315,688],"class_list":["post-370165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-civic-revolt","tag-covid","tag-covid-19","tag-days","tag-essential-california","tag-israel","tag-l-a","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-may","tag-pandemic","tag-part","tag-president-biden","tag-red-county","tag-san-diego","tag-state","tag-time","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}