County details cleanup, monitoring and aid after Boyle Heights Lineage warehouse fire

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on June 30 received an extended briefing on the Lineage Logistics warehou se fire in Boyle Heights and the county'led recovery effort. The county proclaimed a local emergency and described multiagency work to protect residents, remediate environmental impacts and support displaced people.

Chair, speaking for the board, said county teams have stood up multiple resource centers and distributed air purifiers and N95 masks to affected residents, and thanked first responders and community organizations who assisted residents. "We have already distributed over 7,000 air purifiers and 59,500 N95 masks," the chair said, asking staff to continue outreach and ensure people can document losses for potential claims.

Kevin McGowan, director of the Office of Emergency Management, said the city of Los Angeles is leading on site recovery because the facility sits inside city jurisdiction but that the county has seamlessly integrated into the city's recovery structure. "The responsible party is at the front of the table," McGowan said, adding the party is being required to take certain actions and pay for debris removal under county and city oversight.

Mark Pastrella, director of Public Works, described how the county is reviewing and approving haul routes, landfill destinations and wrapping/containment methods for transported materials. "We have not approved their haul routes yet," Pastrella said. "We are reviewing how many residential streets they will cross and the hours they will carry materials." He also said debris collected from the river system is being documented and stored in county-approved flood-control facilities pending sorting.

Public Health and hazardous-materials officials said air and water testing are ongoing. Mario Trezieris, chief of the Health Hazardous Materials Division, said hazardous-waste contractors are being identified to classify and remove material safely, and noted that odor-control products under consideration (including chlorine dioxide) remain under review. Dr. Muntu Davis, county health officer, said water-sample testing is ongoing and that public-health directives were issued requiring a plan from the responsible party to reduce risks from contaminated food on site.

Jason Lowe of the South Coast Air Quality Management District described mobile and stationary monitoring for particulate matter and air toxics. "Mobile monitoring showed high particulate consistent with a high-smoke event," Lowe said. AQMD and county staff said they had positioned stationary monitors at affected school sites and are working to publish community-level monitoring results.

Kelly Lobianco, director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, outlined county support for small businesses and workers, including canvassing, rapid-response events and $1 million in rapid-response funds for training and transitional subsidized employment.

Board members pressed officials on haul-route approvals, containment and public notification. Supervisors emphasized the need for clear claims and documentation procedures so affected residents and businesses can be compensated and for continued coordination with state and federal partners. Several dozen residents and community leaders, many from East Los Angeles and adjacent unincorporated areas, addressed the board during public comment, urging robust long-term relief and monitoring.

The board received the report for filing and directed staff to continue coordinating recovery, to provide public updates on testing results and to pursue reimbursement and enforcement actions against the responsible party where appropriate.