Los Angeles Community Struggles With Horrific Odor From Waste
WHO:
CNN - Residents of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, including Alicia Naranjo and Lisset Navarrete, are affected by the odor.
CNN - Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency in response to the situation.
CNN - Lineage Logistics is the largest owner of cold-storage facilities in the world and the operator of the warehouse involved.
WHAT:
CNN - The amount of waste from the warehouse fire would fill roughly 440,000 curbside trash bins, stretching more than 200 miles if lined up wheel-to-wheel.
CNN - As of Wednesday, Lineage has removed approximately 80% of the food waste from the Boyle Heights warehouse.
CNN - The South Coast AQMD issued Lineage public nuisance violations for 25 consecutive days.
CNN - A warehouse fire in Boyle Heights burned for eight days and involved 88 million pounds of frozen food.
CNN - The fire resulted in the release of a pungent odor of rotting food, causing physical illness among residents.
CNN - Over 4,200 complaints about the odor have been reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
CNN - Lineage has distributed almost 600 air purifiers and over 650 air conditioning units to local households.
CNN - Community support efforts total more than $3.3 million.
WHERE:
CNN - The incident occurred in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California.
CNN - The food waste is being transported to a landfill in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles.
WHEN:
CNN - The cleanup of the waste is directed to be completed by August 13.
CNN - The warehouse fire occurred in mid-June.
WHY:
CNN - The fire was believed to have started when solar panel contractors were working on the roof of the warehouse.
CNN - Residents reported that the odor is making them physically sick, leading to symptoms like headaches and nausea.
HOW:
CNN - The City of Los Angeles has directed Lineage to clear the waste by August 13, a timeline described as “very aggressive” by a company executive at a town hall last month.
CNN - Cleanup crews are sealing toxic waste in hazmat containers and spraying the food waste with bleach, deodorizer, and water before disposal.
CNN - Part of the facility is wrapped in plastic sheeting while large fans spray odor-control mist around the warehouse.
(UPDATED August 9, 2026 04:58 UTC)
A massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights has resulted in an astonishing amount of waste, enough to fill roughly 440,000 curbside trash bins, which would stretch over 200 miles if lined up wheel-to-wheel. As of now, Lineage has successfully removed about 80% of the food waste, but the South Coast AQMD has issued public nuisance violations against the company for 25 consecutive days. The City of Los Angeles has set an aggressive deadline for Lineage to clear the remaining waste by August 13.
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(UPDATED August 9, 2026 03:03 UTC)
A warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, burned for eight days, releasing a pungent odor from 88 million pounds of rotting food and causing physical illness among residents, prompting Mayor Karen Bass to declare a state of emergency. Lineage Logistics, the operator of the warehouse, has distributed nearly 600 air purifiers and over 650 air conditioning units to affected households, while community support efforts have raised more than $3.3 million. Cleanup crews are working to complete the removal of the waste by August 13, using hazmat containers and spraying the area with bleach and deodorizer to mitigate the odor.