Firefighters responded to a fire Wednesday afternoon at a commercial building in Boyle Heights that sent a large smoke plume over the area near downtown Los Angeles.
The fire was reported at about 2:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of South Los Palos Street on the roof of the single-story Lineage cold food storage facility, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“There is a field of solar panels on the roof. That’s really where the fire was. It was a surface fire on the solar panels,” LAFD Chief Jaime Moore told NBCLA.
Thick, black smoke rising from the roof could be seen for miles around. At one point, firefighters were called off the roof, but video from NewsChopper4 showed LAFD personnel on top of the building as flames neared one end of the structure.
Several ladder trucks were spraying water on the roof. Crews seemed to be making good progress on the fire, thanks in part to several water-dropping helicopters.
Due to hazardous materials, a shelter-in-place order was issued for areas near the fire, including south of the 101 Freeway to Washington Boulevard and east of Soto Street to Indiana Street. Residents were advised to close windows and doors. Surrounding areas, especially to the east, were under a smoke advisory.
A map of the areas under a shelter-in-place order (red) and a smoke advisory (blue) as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
At a news conference, an LAFD spokesperson said the blaze reached an ammonia line, which prompted the shelter-in-place order, but that the ammonia has been contained.
The LAFD added that the chemical is not considered dangerous, except for those with respiratory issues.
Although the power was shut down, the situation remains challenging for firefighters since solar panels still conduct electricity, the LAFD said.
The city of San Gabriel also recommended that residents shelter in place but said there was no threat to the city as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Los Angeles Police Department issued a city-wide tactical alert amid the fire. A tactical alert amplifies the number of available officers for things like traffic control, road closures and evacuations, by telling those on duty that they are not permitted to leave until notified.
The sky in downtown Los Angeles after a fire broke out at a commercial building in Boyle Heights on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
There were no immediate reports of injuries. Details about a cause of the fire were not immediately available.
NBCLA meteorologist David Biggar said winds have been weak in the area, meaning smoke has not been dissipating at a high rate. Most of the smoke was being blown east toward the San Gabriel Valley, but that could change through the afternoon.
More than 130 LAFD firefighters have been assigned to this incident. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said it is assisting the LAFD.
In August 2024, firefighters responded to a solar panel fire on the roof of the same building, a nearly 480,000-square-foot structure built in 2018. According to LAFD, that fire was extinguished in 48 minutes.