A public health crisis of incalculable consequences is brewing among the population living in the vicinity of the Lineage company, where a powerful fire occurred that has affected the lives of more than 80,000 people living in Boyle Heights and its surroundings, denounced affected families and community activists who described the tragedy as “environmental racism.”

"I'm upset because they're not cleaning up quickly. I can't go out and play; I want them to leave forever," said Nathan Maldonado, a nine-year-old boy at Eastman Avenue Elementary, on the verge of tears. "I see my mother who has felt very affected. She has to go to the hospital, due to the smoke and the polluted air."

On June 17, a fire broke out at the Lineage facility, located at 1400 S. Los Palos Street, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, and the delayed response from the city of Los Angeles and the county came almost a week later with the distribution of air purifiers and masks.

Although the fire was completely extinguished, the putrefaction of millions of tons of meat that were in the facilities of Lineage - the largest refrigerated warehouse operator in the world, with a storage capacity of more than 3,000 million cubic feet - has contaminated the air that people breathe. Not even a mask helps prevent vomiting, nausea and headaches.

“If two years ago this same company had a fire in the same place where it all started, do you expect there to be another fire for the company to disappear or for us to disappear?” questioned Roberto Castillo, who works in a tortilla factory and lives a few meters from the company.

“My daughter has already fallen to the hospital,” added his wife. "She couldn't breathe and the doctor told her her nose was irritated. He gave her a spray and pills."

Lineage has operated since 2012 in Boyle Heights. The permit was granted by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) and the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, under the jurisdiction of the city. The mayor was then Antonio Villaraigosa.

Deodorizers for debris

"If we don't get it. Close it down! (If we don't get it, close it.)", intoned the families of Boyle Heights, as they marched towards the burned building, where although cleaning has begun, the nauseating smell controls the entire environment, despite the installation of misting systems both on the perimeter of the fire and inside.

“Deodorizers are being applied to the debris as it is removed from the building,” the company reported. "In addition, we are monitoring odor levels 24 hours a day and making adjustments in real time based on weather and wind conditions. We will not slow down in our efforts until the problem is controlled."

However, control is conspicuous by its absence. It is impossible to breathe properly, even with a mask.

"My name is Alma Laguna, I am a mother of two children. I live three blocks from where the incident happened. I have been feeling sick. I feel like vomiting, nausea and headaches. Yesterday I went to the hospital because I did not feel well," she revealed. "Until now I do not feel well. Everything that has happened has been very, very bad for my family, my children."

She has two children who like sports, and during their summer vacation they have had to be cooped up all day.

"What happened here [in Boyle Heights] would not have happened in a community where it belongs to rich people, people with money. On the other hand, in this community we are low-income and it is where they install their corporations. That is not fair because we suffer the consequences," he emphasized.

Therefore, he felt that Lineage should finish the cleanup by leaving the area for good.

“May they never be placed here near our communities again,” he said.

“Environmental racism”

Carlos Montes, a member of the CSO Center, a community service organization based in Boyle Heights and who lives two miles from the fire, in a nursing home reported that they are facing a situation where they have not received air purifiers or masks.

According to Montes, the young people from Centro CSO have had to go out into the community, get purifiers and masks to distribute them.

“I grew up here surrounded by factories; I woke up in the morning to the noise of machinery and factory exhaust fans,” said Montes. "This is environmental racism. This is not allowed in white, wealthy communities."

"It is a crisis, so we are here to say: Lineage out! We demand the definitive closure of the Lineage Logistics facilities here in Boyle Heights, with no possibility of reconstruction or resumption of operations in this place," said the resident of the area.

Likewise, Montes and the other protesters called for a thorough and transparent environmental investigation to determine exactly what chemicals were released and what residents were exposed to.

"Members of our community continue to suffer headaches and respiratory problems. We demand a thorough cleanup of the site; lingering odors emanating from the property indicate that dangerous conditions may persist that pose an ongoing threat to public health."

Visibly affected, Montes added: "Families never received an evacuation order. We were told to stay home and close the windows. However, the windows in our homes – including mine – do not seal well and let air in, so we were breathing smoke from outside. We demand immediate solutions; we need support to ensure that people have a safe and stable place to live while they recover from this crisis. We demand that Lineage Logistics and all responsible parties assume full responsibility, and that the authorities guarantee the protection of our community.”

Lineage will no longer operate in Boyle Heights

“Yesterday [Wednesday] I visited the Boyle Heights community and spoke directly with residents who are suffering serious consequences, including bad odors that have caused headaches, nausea and difficulty breathing,” stated Mayor Karen Bass.

"Let's be clear: this fire did not occur in isolation. It reflects a persistent pattern of industrial impacts that communities like Boyle Heights have been forced to endure for far too long. I have made it clear that the community must be at the center of every stage of recovery efforts."

The mayor noted that investigations into the causes of the fire are ongoing “and we will hold those responsible accountable.”

"I will continue to fight for what Boyle Heights needs and deserves, including urging Lineage to consider ceasing operations at the site once the cleanup is complete. I will not accept a recovery process that simply restores the status quo."

Bass is committed to ensuring that the Boyle Heights community is safer in the future than it was before the fire started.

"We are working closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to monitor air quality. Misting systems have been installed around the facility to help reduce exposure and improve outdoor air conditions, and we are pushing Lineage to do more.

Immediate protective measures have already been implemented, such as real-time air monitoring, the distribution of air filters and masks, and the deployment of mobile health clinics in the area to address the needs of residents.”

County Health Department Response

Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have issued a public health directive directing Lineage Logistics to develop a Community Exposure Mitigation Plan in response to the prolonged structure fire that caused smoke and particle pollution throughout the region.

“Although regional air quality has improved since the fire, the extent of smoke intrusion into nearby properties has not yet been fully assessed; furthermore, the large amount of contaminated food remaining on the premises carries a considerable likelihood of decomposition and generation of nuisance odors that could impact surrounding communities,” the DPH said, in a written response to La Opinión.