Cleanup efforts at a fire-ravaged cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights just got messier.
In a letter sent Friday, Greg Lehmkuhl — chief executive of Lineage, which manages the facility — accused Altus Power, the solar panel subcontractor whose rooftop equipment is suspected of potentially sparking the June 17 blaze, of obstructing demolition efforts.
According to the letter, which was addressed to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and county Supervisor Hilda Solis, Lineage was prepared and had the necessary permits to begin demolition work at the site on Friday, as required under emergency executive orders and a Los Angeles County public health directive issued June 29.
“Unlike Altus and other involved parties, Lineage has been on the front lines since day one, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to execute a safe and swift remediation effort,” Lehmkuhl wrote.
Altus Power did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company previously said in a statement that the cause of the fire has yet to be determined but that it is cooperating fully with authorities and has reached out to local leaders to offer help.
Lehmkuhl wrote that crews were ready to begin removing debris when they received a notice ordering them to halt demolition on Thursday. The letter did not explain the pause, but suggested it may have been intended to preserve evidence.
“The work we planned does not affect the suspected area of origin or materials potentially relevant to evidence preservation or further investigation,” Lehmkuhl wrote. “This is unacceptable. Public safety is our number one priority.”
Lehmkuhl said there is an urgent need to prevent additional flareups, clear debris and address the persistent odor of millions of pounds of rotting food at the site.
Many residents living near the warehouse have expressed concerns for their health and loved ones, with some calling for the warehouse to shut down entirely.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said in a written statement that “no private party should be allowed to use process, finger-pointing, or liability disputes as an excuse to slow down cleanup that the community urgently needs.”
“I am calling on Lineage, Altus, the property owner, and every involved party to cooperate immediately with the City, County, LAFD, Public Health, and regulatory agencies,” Jurado said in the statement to The Times. “If there are legitimate evidence-preservation concerns, they must be addressed through a clear, written protocol that allows investigators to do their work without delaying urgent remediation.”
Crews battled the Boyle Heights warehouse fire for about a week before they got it under control. Questions remain about how long the cleanup process will take, and what long-term repercussions there may be from the resulting air pollution.