Tensions in Boyle Heights reached a fever pitch Thursday evening as residents — fed up with exposure to toxic smoke, the smell of rotting food, and a lack of answers after the Lineage warehouse fire — made their frustrations known at a feisty town hall meeting.
Mayor Karen Bass struggled to open the meeting over the loud boos and yelling of community members, actions that were repeated as other elected officials took the microphone. The crowd grew even louder when Lineage Chief Operating Officer Jeff Rivera took to the stage and was met with a chorus of “Liar!”
Scores of protesters marched a mile from the site of the hazardous blaze to the meeting, chanting as they walked that the warehouse had poisoned their community and they wanted it removed permanently. More than 200 people were turned away at the door as the venue reached capacity and continued to rally outside with drums, whistles and signs that read “Lineage out” and “We can see your greedy side.”
“We are one community and city and are making sure we get the solutions needed,” said protest leader Jazmine Garcia. “This is about quality of life. This is about not being ignored anymore.”
Firefighters for several days struggled to knock down a stubborn blaze that started on the roof of the Lineage cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights on June 17.
Air quality has been a constant concern for the community since the incident began. Beyond the health hazards of breathing in smoke from a building fire, there was a brief, temporary scare when an ammonia line that helped keep the building refrigerated was compromised, though Lineage has said the chemical was not detected in the air. There are also the 85 million pounds of food that thawed, burned and spoiled inside, creating a terrible smell emanating from the property.
“I know the last few weeks have been extremely difficult,” said Rivera at the meeting. “I understand the uncertainty, the frustration, and the disruption that it’s caused, and I am sorry.”
As part of a pair of executive directives signed by Bass last week, city officials are requiring Lineage and the owner of the building, Chill Build, to submit a comprehensive cleanup plan to the city. The directives also require the companies to remove the millions of pounds of rotting food inside the warehouse within 45 days.
Rivera said that clean-up began Monday and the company is moving as quickly as possible with a goal of beating the city’s 45-day timeline to complete the process.
Thus far, 1.4 million pounds of solid waste have been removed, and 3.2 million more pounds are set for removal in the coming days, said Brian Martin, a representative for Clean Harbors, a company helping carry out the clean-up. Structural removal commenced Tuesday and is now 6.5% complete, and there are around 200 people working on the site around the clock.
Lineage has wrapped portions of the building with a temporary material that’s meant to contain debris, reduce odors and dampen noise during the remediation process. Misting systems also are being used on the exterior to reduce smells from the rotting food, while air quality monitoring is continuing in eight locations.
Rivera told residents that air quality monitoring effects showed that the air was currently safe in the community. He also outlined resources Lineage would provide to residents living closest to the site during that clean-up. Those include grocery vouchers at Food4Less, housing vouchers for those who elect to relocate during cleanup, cash assistance through prepaid cards and support for utility bills.
Earlier this week, Mayor Bass, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and several local leaders met with company executives looking for answers as the cleanup is underway.
“Despite the urgency of the community’s concerns, the company did not provide concrete public commitments, funding amounts, or implementation timelines for the relief and recovery measures requested,” Jurado’s office said in a statement on Monday.
According to the council member’s office, local leaders pressed company executives about support local residents could still need, including timelines around cleanup, relocation assistance, health support, small-business relief, and a dedicated claims process.
In a statement after the meeting, Lineage officials said they were still looking to work with community leaders.
“Nothing matters more right now than completing demolition and cleanup as quickly and safely as possible to protect the health and safety of Boyle Heights and East L.A.,” the statement read. “We are working urgently to remove fire-impacted food and debris and are committed to this community every step of the way.”
Last week, a group of about 50 residents rallied a block away from the warehouse, and demanded the company clean up the debris from the fire and then pack up and leave.
Lineage “needs to clean up and never [come] back,” said Alma Laugnas during the rally last week. “It’s really hard for us to be living like this.”
Crowds chanted in Spanish, “Que se vayan!” (“They should go!”) and said their day-to-day lives continued to be affected, with kids and older residents unwilling to be outdoors because of the smell.
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