Los Angeles under state of emergency due to warehouse fire

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles was under a state of emergency on June 20 as fire crews fought a days-long battle against a stubborn warehouse blaze that has filled the air with acrid black smoke.

“This is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident,” Karen Bass, mayor of the second-largest US city, said in a statement.

The declaration will “ensure the city has the resources it needs”.

The fire broke out on the afternoon of June 17 in a 46,400 sq m frozen food warehouse, where burning foam insulation, suspected ammonia leakage and melting solar panels have complicated the firefight, officials said.

“The smell of smoke has reached most of the city, and we encourage everyone to limit exposure as much as possible,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

The fire has been contained to the warehouse but continues to burn, spewing fumes that smell of burning plastic.

Early on, residents of the area surrounding the warehouse in Boyle Heights, a diverse neighborhood in east Los Angeles, were warned to shelter in place, close windows and avoid breathing the air.

Authorities opened 24-hour relief centers for people unable to otherwise escape the smoke.

But fire officials have since lifted those orders, saying the smoke is not toxic or different from a normal structure fire.

Air quality officials have issued warnings for people in affected areas to avoid outdoor activity.

City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents the district where the fire is burning, raised concern over long-term health impacts in Boyle Heights.

“Residents have lived through days of smoke, shelter-in-place orders, disruptions to daily life, and ongoing questions about what this means for their health and well-being,” she said in a statement on June 20. AFP