<\/p>\n
The Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse fire pictured a few hours after it began on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.<\/p>\n
Staff Photo by Monica Rodriguez<\/p>\n
This\u00a0article\u00a0<\/a>was originally published on June 29 by\u00a0Boyle Heights Beat<\/a>, a nonprofit newsroom of the Los Angeles Local News Initiative serving Boyle Heights and East L.A.<\/p>\n Boyle Heights \/ East L.A.\u2014Last week, Felipe Hernandez saw fewer customers than usual. The produce vendor had already lost some foot traffic in East LA due to the ongoing ICE raids and COVID before that, but after the Lineage warehouse fire blanketed the area in smoke, Hernandez felt like everyone disappeared all at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this was worse [than COVID]. They all really went away just like that \u2014 but this time it was on a whole new level,\u201d said Hernandez, who works afternoons at Ponciano Produce, his nephew\u2019s produce truck.<\/p>\n Claudia Hernandez, owner of Mariscos El Manglar in East LA, closed early on the first day of the fire because she couldn\u2019t handle the amount of smoke blowing at her food truck, parked one mile away.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the raids, sales dropped by 60%,\u201d said Hernandez. \u201cAnd this week, because of the smoke, they\u2019ve gone down by about 80%.\u201d<\/p>\n The compounding effect of the ICE raids and now a week full of smoke due to the Lineage fire, has left small businesses in both Boyle Heights and East LA struggling more than ever.<\/p>\n Many businesses were forced to close entirely due to the intensity of the smoke and others that did open served even fewer customers as people were forced to stay indoors or leave the area.<\/p>\n According to a report from the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute nearly 13,600 jobs are located within the smoke advisory zone, 66% are held by Hispanic or Latino individuals.<\/p>\n The report notes that many small businesses in retail, accommodation, and food service closed or experienced a steep decline in clients.<\/p>\n Hair stylist Cristina Medrano fought back tears when thinking of the impacts ICE have had on her customers at Kassandra\u2019s Salon and the greater Boyle Heights community.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur people are scared. All of us are, right? We go through a certain amount of stress regarding our people, it really is very difficult,\u201d said Medrano. \u201cEven though it doesn\u2019t affect us directly, our people do go out but they go out afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n After the fire Medrano was forced to cancel appointments due to customers\u2019 concerns about the smoke. She says she never expected the fire to go on for as long as it did.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been more than we expected, a whole week like this. And there\u2019s still more to come, just think of everything that\u2019s in the air, what we\u2019re breathing in. But we have to work. I mean, you can\u2019t just sit around doing nothing, we have to keep going,\u201d Medrano said.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Inclusive Action, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Hustle & Heart Collective launched the Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses, targeting brick and mortar shops and street vendors in the four zip codes around the Lineage fire.<\/p>\n \u201cSome businesses are still trying to come out of the hole that they were put in because of the ICE raids today,\u201d said Rudy Espinoza, CEO of Inclusive Action. \u201cSo then you layer this new fire for the especially the small businesses on the east side and it\u2019s just like another obstacle for them to get ahead and to take care of their families and to make payroll for their workers.\u201d<\/p>\n Applications are not open yet but they are accepting donations via GoFundMe.<\/p>\n Councilmember Ysabel Jurado\u2019s office is also working with the Emergency Management Department and the Boyle Heights Business Source Center to connect impacted businesses and street vendors to city resources,<\/p>\n After struggling with a loss of about 65% of their sales after the ICE raids, Tacos Los Arabes in Boyle Heights lost about 35% in sales during the week of the fire, according to Jonathan Villegas, one of the sons of the family-owned Tacos Los Arabes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an unfortunate thing to happen but it\u2019s in the past. We\u2019re trying to move on and we don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to affect the future for now because it seems under control, but the raids are still in the back of people\u2019s minds. They\u2019re a little bit more ready to go out, but you still hear stories about people being raided\u201d Villegas said.<\/p>\n Villegas said he appreciated when customers would wear N95 masks to support his business during the week despite the obstacles facing the community.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Support Eastside Community News \u2014 Now Tax-Deductible<\/p>\n You can now make a tax-deductible contribution to support The Eastsider\u2019s civic and accountability coverage on the Eastside.<\/p>\n Choose what works for you: <\/p>\n \u2022 Become a monthly supporter and help us reach 500 neighbors funding daily reporting<\/p>\n \u2022 Make a single gift to our new Eastside Community News Fund<\/p>\n Strong local news keeps residents informed and leaders accountable.<\/p>\n Thank you for your consideration.<\/p>\n \u2014Jes\u00fas Sanchez, Publisher<\/p>\n
\n Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
\n <\/p>\n
\n Error! There was an error processing your request.
\n <\/p>\n
\n Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
\n <\/p>\n
\n Error! There was an error processing your request.
\n <\/p>\n