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Smoke From L.A. Warehouse Fire Chokes Area for Days
Governor Issues Emergency Declaration Over Lineage Logistics Blaze
Key Takeaways:
- A June 17 fire at a Lineage Logistics cold storage warehouse in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights continued burning days later, spreading smoke and prompting emergency declarations.
- Air quality reached “very unhealthy” levels across parts of Southern California, authorities said, as responders faced challenges from the large facility’s design and potential ammonia risks.
- Officials ordered street closures, distributed masks and supplies, and urged residents to stay indoors while firefighters maintained round-the-clock efforts to contain the blaze.
A fire at a cold storage warehouse near downtown Los Angeles continued pumping fumes across Southern California five days after it ignited, prompting emergency declarations as air quality reached unhealthy levels.
The stubborn blaze at a Lineage Logistics facility in the Boyle Heights neighborhood in the city’s east has become one of the area’s most disruptive industrial fires in recent years.
Authorities shut down intersections around the smoldering warehouse late June 21 to clear access for emergency crews as firefighters continued their round-the-clock battle against the fire, which erupted June 17.
“While it still burns, the progress is remarkable,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a June 22 afternoon press conference. “I know Angelenos all across the city are concerned as they see and smell the smoke.”
Thick clouds have darkened skies stretching across Central and Southeast Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and the San Fernando Valley, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. An advisory extended through 12:30 p.m. local time June 23 warned that concentrations of fine-particle pollution had climbed to “very unhealthy” conditions in the Boyle Heights area.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a state of emergency declaration response to the fire, deploying 5.5 million N95 respirator masks, commercial-grade air purifiers, bottled water and other emergency supplies for distribution. Local officials opened relief centers and urged residents near the warehouse to remain indoors, when possible, with windows and doors shut.
Firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at a Los Angeles cold storage facility that has been burning for a week, polluting the skies and prompting air quality warnings.
ABC News' Melissa Adan reports. https://t.co/nzrF2l9aJc pic.twitter.com/eAIQmi2zhr — ABC News (@ABC) June 23, 2026
The blaze has unfolded as Los Angeles hosts FIFA World Cup matches and welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world. While not a wildfire, the smoke-choked skies have evoked memories of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires that killed at least 30 people in January 2025 and blanketed large parts of the region in smoke.
Across social media, residents described difficulty breathing and sleeping and some described the smell as unbearable. Videos showed volunteers handing out masks on streets shrouded in gray haze and soliciting online donations for relief efforts.
Firefighters have faced an unusually difficult challenge at the 500,000-square-foot facility, a giant refrigerated warehouse packed with thick insulated walls and topped with solar panels. Concerns that ammonia used in the cooling system could be released into surrounding neighborhoods have further complicated the response.
A @SouthCoastAQMD particle pollution advisory remains in effect until Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. Residents affected by the Boyle Heights Storage Facility Fire should continue to follow @lapublichealth guidance to protect yourself and your family from harmful effects of bad air quality. pic.twitter.com/5yjOOiWG6m — Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) June 23, 2026
After initially using firefighting helicopters to stanch rooftop flames, they shifted to pouring constant streams of water on the structure, filling the air with steamy clouds that drifted for miles above the nation’s second-largest metropolitan area.
Lineage said it has been pumping ammonia from the warehouse and transporting it to an offsite location.
“We can confirm that no measurable ammonia concentrations have been recorded in the community since the fire began, and we continue to be grateful to Los Angeles’ remarkable firefighters for their brave and tireless response,” the company said in a statement.
The smoke was impossible to ignore even miles away. Hazy skies loomed over Dodger Stadium on Sunday as the Dodgers hosted the Baltimore Orioles, losing 12-1.
“It’s a little dark out there, a little Gotham City,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said during a pregame press conference.
Lineage ranks No. 13 on the Transport Topics list of the largest logistics companies in North America.
