LA declares state of emergency amid warehouse fire...

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared an emergency Saturday to ensure the city gets the resources it needs to fight a large warehouse fire in the Boyle Heights neighborhood that has sent large plumes of smoke into the air. "The city and county have opened spaces for families seeking relief from the smoke, and we will continue working around the clock and doing everything possible to put this fire out completely," Bass said in a news release announcing the emergency declaration. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jamie Moore described the blaze that broke out Wednesday as a "very unique fire, a very unique challenge." The 500,000-square-foot commercial building at 1400 S. Los Palos St. houses 85 million pounds of frozen food "like a giant cooler," he said. The corrugated steel walls are filled with very dense foam that is burning slowly and off-gassing despite ongoing water drops from helicopters. Moore cautioned people with lung issues or smoke sensitivity to avoid outdoor activities, but said crews have mitigated the hazardous-materials portion of the blaze and are now focused on the biohazard portion posed by spoiled food. A shelter-in-place order for residents was lifted Friday, but many across the region on social media reported thick smoke smells, haze and poor air quality in the San Gabriel Valley, northeast Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, downtown Los Angeles and many other areas. Some said the smoke was as bad as, if not worse than, during the fire that burned in Altadena in January 2025. The mayor's declaration asks for recovery help under the California Disaster Assistance Act. She also asked the state to expedite access to resources and other relief programs. Los Angeles County health officer Muntu Davis said the main public health concern was smoke and fine particles that can cause temporary irritation of the ear, nose, throat and lungs, as well as exacerbate heart and lung conditions. "People really just need to pay attention to how they feel, especially if they have underlying health conditions, and watching children as well," she said. The warehouse is owned by Lineage Logistics. The company could not be reached for comment Saturday, but released a statement to CBS saying it believed the fire was started by contractors testing the solar array on the facility's roof. "Lineage's top priority is the health and safety of the community, and we are continuing to work closely with the Los Angeles Fire Department and other agencies to provide any assistance we can," the statement said. It noted that the facility is not used for the storage of hazardous materials. The multiday effort has been full of challenges for firefighters, with fiery flare-ups shooting up from the building whose roof is covered with solar panels. The fire initially grew into a huge inferno, creating a pillar of thick, black smoke that could be seen for miles. The fire reached an ammonia line, triggering several small explosions and a dramatic image of flames shooting through the building's roof as crews evacuated the area to avoid the fumes. That prompted officials to order a shelter-in-place order that was lifted -- only to be reinstated Thursday after a different section of the building caught fire. That prompted a new shelter-in-place order that was lifted Friday just before 11:30 a.m. The smoke from the fire also prompted a special particle pollution advisory from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. It was set to remain in effect until 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The building is so big, and the flames are in such hard-to-reach areas, that firefighters have needed to get creative with their approach, using water-dropping helicopters and other heavy equipment. Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Nicholas Ferrari said the fire is complex because the building is a freezer constructed with insulated materials. Within the first hours, fire crews removed the ammonia found in the building's refrigeration system. "As we remove those hazards, we're getting closer and closer to getting firefighters inside to get those hose lines where they need to be to completely extinguish the fire," the official said. Information for this article was contributed by Laurence Darmiento and Hayley Smith of the Los Angeles Times (TNS) and staff writers of the Associated Press.