A major fire erupted Wednesday afternoon at a Lineage cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, sending a massive plume of black smoke visible for miles across the region and prompting shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents and businesses. The blaze, reported shortly after 2:30 p.m.
in the 1400 block of South Los Palos Street, initially burned primarily on solar panels covering the 491,000-square-foot warehouse roof. Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) quickly appeared to gain control, but an ammonia leak inside the building led to several small explosions, rekindling the flames and intensifying the smoke.
The fire spread beyond the reach of ground hose lines, prompting LAFD to deploy three water-dropping helicopters that dumped thousands of gallons of water onto the structure. The shelter-in-place order initially covered an area south of the 101 Freeway to roughly Washington Boulevard, and east of Soto Street to Indiana Street.
As smoke and concerns over toxic fumes spread, advisories expanded across East Los Angeles, Vernon, and into Commerce. Residents were urged to stay indoors, close all windows and doors, and turn off air conditioning and heating units.
No injuries were immediately reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Notably, the same solar panels caught fire in August 2024, but that blaze was extinguished within an hour without injuries.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents the area, released a statement saying her office is closely monitoring the situation and understands the fear caused by heavy smoke in the neighborhood. The sky darkened across the Los Angeles area, including in Highland Park looking southeast toward Boyle Heights, as captured in images by local media.
The incident underscores ongoing safety concerns at industrial facilities in the region.