LA Warehouse Fire Continues for a Week: "Extinguishing Efforts Hindered by Massive Frozen Food Storage"

Fire Breaks Out at Boyle Heights Cold Storage Warehouse on June 17
Ignition Occurred During Maintenance of Rooftop Solar Power Installation

The fire at an industrial facility in Los Angeles (LA), California, has continued for a week as of June 24, 2026.

According to the LA Times and CNN on June 23 (local time), the fire broke out at a cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, on June 17. As of this date, fire authorities are still struggling to bring it under control.

The fire reportedly started during maintenance work on the rooftop solar power installation above the warehouse. The flames quickly spread to the food cold storage warehouse below, which spans 491,000 square feet (approximately 46,000 square meters). Although the fire appeared to be under control about six hours after firefighting efforts began, strong winds on June 19 reignited the fire inside the warehouse.

Los Angeles Boyle Heights Fire. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The difficulties in extinguishing the fire are attributed to the unique structure of the cold storage warehouse. The facility is surrounded by metal walls and thick insulation, making dismantling work difficult. To fully extinguish the fire, authorities must locate every hidden ember inside. However, with 85 million pounds (about 39 million kilograms) of frozen food stored inside, entering the interior is also proving extremely challenging.

Jaime Moore, Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), stated, "With 85 million pounds of frozen food inside the building and the structure itself blocking all visibility, it is difficult to enter." Fire authorities are continuing their efforts by breaking down two-story-high walls and spraying water into the building's interior.

Los Angeles Boyle Heights Fire. Photo by AP Yonhap News

As the fire has persisted for a week, concerns about air pollution are growing. Residents have been exposed to smoke day after day, but fire authorities have stated that there are no toxic substances present that would require evacuation, and have not enforced a large-scale mandatory evacuation of nearby areas.

Meanwhile, on June 20, the LA city government and the California state government jointly declared a state of emergency and began providing support to affected residents. Governor Gavin Newsom said, "While the city authorities are responding, the state government is ready to support emergency operations and assist residents who have been impacted," announcing the distribution of 5.5 million N95 masks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.