A massive cold storage facility in Los Angeles erupted in flames Wednesday afternoon, forcing city officials to order nearby residents indoors as firefighters battled toxic ammonia clouds and an unusually dangerous blaze that ultimately required helicopter assistance to contain.
The 500,000 square-foot warehouse, owned by Lineage and located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood near downtown, caught fire on its solar panel-covered roof, triggering a response from roughly 110 firefighters along with hazmat teams from both the city and Los Angeles County. The cause remains under investigation.
What began as a roof fire quickly escalated into a hazardous situation when an ammonia line ruptured during firefighting efforts. The facility uses ammonia as a refrigerant, a cost-effective choice that carries significant risk due to the chemical's toxicity and flammability. The pressurized ammonia off-gassing forced firefighters to evacuate the area after initial attempts to spray the fire with hand lines proved ineffective.
"At some point, an ammonia line was compromised and we had a large, pressurized off-gassing of ammonia," LAFD Chief Jaime Moore told NBC News 4.
The fire grew so intense that ground crews could not safely approach it. Firefighters retreated while at least three helicopters delivered more than half a dozen water drops to combat the blaze from above. Moore acknowledged the scale of the problem: the fire was simply outpacing the water being deployed on it.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents in the impacted area to take immediate precautions. "I urge everyone in the impacted area to get indoors immediately, close windows and doors, turn off air conditioning, and avoid unnecessary travel to the area," she said on social media.
By evening, firefighters had largely contained the roof fire, but new concerns emerged. The roof showed visible sagging, and the presence of solar panels raised questions about whether the building contained lithium ion batteries for energy storage. Such batteries present their own firefighting challenges. They are capable of entering "thermal runaway," a self-sustaining process that makes extinguishing them extremely difficult.
"It's extremely hard to fight the fire, it's dangerous to be around the fire, and it's dangerous to be around the extremely hazardous smoke," said Jennifer Middleton of the Los Angeles Fire Department, referring to lithium ion battery fires. Moore called these batteries "one of our newest challenges in the fire service."
Lineage did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.
Author James Rodriguez: "A brutal reminder that modern industrial buildings can present hazards firefighters are still learning to combat, and helicopter deployments should never be routine."
Comments