{"id":740150,"date":"2026-07-03T03:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T03:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/740150\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T03:43:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T03:43:20","slug":"pollution-released-into-the-air-by-la-warehouse-fire-surpassed-some-of-the-worst-releases-in-the-2025-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/740150\/","title":{"rendered":"Pollution released into the air by LA warehouse fire surpassed some of the worst releases in the 2025 wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Evening<\/p>\n

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the US<\/p>\n

\"Evening<\/p>\n

Pollution from a recent warehouse fire in Los Angeles<\/a> surpassed some of the worst air contamination during the county\u2019s wildfires in January 2025. \u200b<\/p>\n

The blaze, which began at a frozen food warehouse in Boyle Heights<\/a> on June 17, was finally put out on June 24. <\/p>\n

In the space of an hour on June 19, a temporary air quality monitoring station recorded 755 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particles, according to data from the South Coast Air Quality Management District reported by the LA Times<\/a> and seen by The Independent.\u200b <\/p>\n

The device was located at Eastman Avenue Elementary in East Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

By comparison, during the 2025 Eaton fire, a Caltech air monitor in Pasadena measured around 650 micrograms data obtained by The Times<\/a> states.<\/p>\n

\u200bLast year, Eaton Fire Residents United, a grassroots advocacy group, said six<\/a> out of 10 remediated properties in the area in which ash from the Eaton fire settled were uninhabitable due to lead or asbestos levels.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe pollution released into the air during a warehouse fire at at the Lineage Logistics in Boyle Heights surpassed some of the worst pollution levels during January 2025’s L.A. County wildfires (Getty)<\/p>\n

\u200bFine particles known as PM2.5 measure 2.5 micrometers and smaller. \u200bAccording to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>, particulate matter measuring less than 10 micrometers can penetrate the lungs. <\/p>\n

Studies have linked exposure to the particles to nonfatal heart attacks, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, increased respiratory symptoms and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, the agency says.<\/p>\n

\u200bData<\/a> from the South Coast AQMD did not suggest that levels of toxic metals, including lead and arsenic, were elevated. \u200b<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the agency confirmed to The Times that increased levels of bromine, which is used in fire retardant, and chlorine, which can be released from burning plastic, had been recorded by a monitoring device near the fire. However, both were below thresholds for short-term health-based exposure. \u200b<\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a> on June 22, Lineage, the company that operates the warehouse in Boyle Heights, confirmed that the firm believes the fire started on the roof while the owner of a solar array was carrying out tests.<\/p>\n

\"SmokeSmoke fill the air as firefighters continue fighting the Lineage cold storage warehouse fire in the Boyle Heights neighborhood (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n

The hazardous material team at the Los Angeles Fire Department told The Times that low levels of hydrogen fluoride, a toxic chemical that can be released by burning solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, had been detected on the second day of the fire. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already mitigated the hazardous materials portion by removing the ammonia and other chemicals that were used as refrigerants,\u201d L.A. Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore told reporters on June 20.<\/p>\n

However, Moore added that concerns had been raised about the decomposing food<\/a> in the facility.\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gas that emits, that\u2019s the biohazard that we\u2019re worried about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nichole Quick, the chief medical advisor for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said to The Times that the odors from the decomposing food do not indicate dangerous levels of toxins, mold or bacteria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":740151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,308,79],"class_list":["post-740150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-horizontal","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/740151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}