---
title: "Boyle Heights Fire Site to Be Handed Back to Lineage as Cleanup Begins"
description: "The Los Angeles Fire Department is preparing to return control of the fire-ravaged Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse to its operator, Lineage Logistics, clearing the way for a massive cleanup after a blaze that burned for more than a week, fouled the air across the Eastside, and forced school relocations and emergency declarations."
category: "Los Angeles"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles
author: "Brandon Cole"
published: 2026-06-29T14:48:00.000Z
updated: 2026-06-29T14:48:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/boyle-heights-fire-site-to-be-handed-back-to-lineage-as-cleanup-begins
tags: ["Boyle Heights", "Lineage Logistics", "warehouse fire", "ammonia", "air quality", "LAFD", "chemical safety"]
---
# Boyle Heights Fire Site to Be Handed Back to Lineage as Cleanup Begins

The Los Angeles Fire Department is preparing to return control of the fire-ravaged Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse to its operator, Lineage Logistics, clearing the way for a massive cleanup after a blaze that burned for more than a week, fouled the air across the Eastside, and forced school relocations and emergency declarations.

One of the most disruptive industrial fires in recent Los Angeles memory enters a new phase this week, as control of the Boyle Heights warehouse where it burned passes from firefighters back to the company that runs it.

## Site returns to the operator

The Los Angeles Fire Department is set to hand the fire-damaged Lineage Logistics cold-storage facility on South Los Palos Street back to the company, [KTLA reported](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/burned-warehouse-set-to-be-turned-over-to-lineage-logistics-on-monday/), clearing the way for remediation. (Outlets differed on the exact handover day, with some reporting late last week and others Monday.) Firefighters saved roughly half of the nearly 491,000-square-foot structure; the burned portion is expected to be demolished. Lineage has hired a restoration firm for a cleanup that will include disinfection, odor control and pest control — no small task with an estimated tens of millions of pounds of frozen food still inside.

## How the fire unfolded

The blaze broke out the afternoon of June 17 and proved stubborn. The warehouse's refrigeration relied on anhydrous ammonia, and an early leak triggered a shelter-in-place order for surrounding blocks that was lifted hours later. The next day, hazmat crews detected hydrogen fluoride — consistent, officials said, with a lithium-ion battery, likely from a forklift, having ignited — and the shelter-in-place was reinstated as smoke drifted across the Los Angeles Basin and neighborhood air monitors recorded unhealthy readings. The fire was declared knocked down on June 24, roughly eight days after it began.

## Schools moved, emergencies declared

With smoke hanging over the Eastside, the Los Angeles Unified School District relocated students from several nearby campuses. Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and Gov. Gavin Newsom followed with a state declaration; a community resource center distributed masks, water and air purifiers, and Lineage pledged $2 million to a local foundation for affected residents.

## Cause still under investigation

The cause remains officially undetermined. Lineage has pointed to a subcontractor testing rooftop solar panels; the solar company says no cause has been established and that it is cooperating. Separately, the city has opened an investigation into [alleged unpermitted construction](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/los-angeles-boyle-heights-warehouse-fire-investigating-construction/) at the site. The fire renewed calls from Boyle Heights residents and advocates — echoing the Herald's earlier reporting on gaps in the city's oversight of hazardous-chemical storage — for tighter permitting and more frequent inspection of facilities holding industrial refrigerants near homes.

With the handover, the focus turns to remediation and accountability. Air agencies say they will keep monitoring as residual odors linger, and fire-cause and hazmat investigators are expected to gain fuller access once Lineage formally takes the site back. No demolition timeline has been announced.

## Sources

- [Burned warehouse set to be turned over to Lineage Logistics](https://ktla.com/news/local-news/burned-warehouse-set-to-be-turned-over-to-lineage-logistics-on-monday/)
- [LAFD plans to turn warehouse ravaged by fire over to Lineage Logistics](https://mynewsla.com/crime/2026/06/26/lafd-plans-to-turn-warehouse-ravaged-by-fire-over-to-lineage-logistics-3/)
- [Los Angeles investigating alleged unpermitted construction at warehouse](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/los-angeles-boyle-heights-warehouse-fire-investigating-construction/)