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L.A. weighs megawarehouse rebuilding after Lineage cold storage fire
About 4,000 odor complaints were filed with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, as local officials pressed for maximum fines and mitigation during cleanup.
A cold storage warehouse fire at a Lineage facility in Los Angeles has triggered renewed scrutiny of megawarehouses, after ongoing odors and cleanup disputes. The fire broke out in Boyle Heights on June 17, and reports on the lingering smell prompted nearly 4,000 odor complaints to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, with residents describing putrid odors tied to rotting food and other materials.
During an August SCAQMD hearing, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the odor from tens of millions of pounds of rotting food was unbearable and noted that flies, rats and other pests had infested the community. Bass also issued an emergency executive order placing a hold on rebuilding until cleanup is complete, urging the agency to hold Lineage accountable to the maximum extent of the law, including fines, effective mitigation, and a complete and thorough cleanup.
Lineage submitted plans to rebuild a roughly half-million-square-foot facility in late July, drawing outcry from local leaders who raised concerns about placing major cold storage operations next to residential neighborhoods. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado advocated environmental justice ordinances, including one that would prohibit siting new cold storage warehouses near schools, daycares and other sensitive sites, and said she had no intention of supporting rebuilding while the public health crisis continues.
The contested remediation is expected to cost up to $100 million, according to the company. Commercial Observer also pointed to analysis from Zurich Insurance Group that suggests a “too-tall, too dense” approach to commercial warehouse storage may be increasing both the size and severity of fires, highlighting new risk awareness around industrial real estate.