Fire Near Me hit Boyle Heights on Wednesday when a 500,000 sq-ft cold storage warehouse roof caught fire. Karen Bass told people in the impacted area to get indoors immediately, close windows and doors, and avoid unnecessary travel. The smoke carried ammonia, turning a warehouse blaze into an air-quality response.
About 110 firefighters responded in the afternoon, and city and Los Angeles county hazmat teams joined the effort. Jennifer Middleton said the roof fire was largely contained by evening. The building was owned by Lineage.
Ammonia and the roof fire
Jaime Moore said an ammonia line was compromised and there was a large, pressurized off-gassing of ammonia. Cold storage facilities rely on ammonia as a cost-effective refrigerant, and Moore said it is both toxic and flammable. That is why the shelter-in-place order focused on people nearby rather than on the building alone.
Firefighters first tried hand lines on the roof, then retreated after the ammonia release forced them back for a few minutes. At least three helicopters made more than half a dozen air drops of water while crews tried to knock the fire down from above. The city monitored the air for evidence of ammonia off-gassing as smoke spread near downtown Los Angeles.
Solar panels and lithium ion batteries
The solar panel-covered roof added another complication. The presence of solar panels raised concerns the building may contain lithium ion batteries, and Middleton said those fires are extremely hard to fight, dangerous to be around, and dangerous because of the extremely hazardous smoke. Moore called lithium ion batteries one of the newest challenges in the fire service.
By evening, the roof fire was largely contained, but the roof was sagging and crews were still watching for hazardous ammonia and possible lithium ion battery risks. Whether the facility actually contains lithium ion batteries and how much ammonia escaped was not answered, leaving the air-monitoring effort as the most immediate next step for people living nearby.
