Residents near downtown Los Angeles are still being urged to monitor air quality after a massive warehouse fire involving rooftop solar panels and an ammonia leak triggered shelter-in-place orders for thousands of people.
The blaze erupted Wednesday afternoon at a nearly 500,000-square-foot cold storage facility operated by Lineage Logistics in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, sending thick black smoke billowing across large portions of eastern Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, as reported by the New York Times.
The fire spread across a large field of solar panels installed on the building’s roof and was complicated by an ammonia leak inside the facility.
#BREAKING A dramatic fire involving solar panels erupted Wednesday afternoon on a commercial building in Boyle Heights, sending a massive black column of smoke into the air above the scene and prompting a shelter-in-place order.
Watch ABC7’s live streaming coverage here:… pic.twitter.com/N9HXDGus00
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 17, 2026
When firefighters initially addressed the fire, they climbed on the roof and attempted to subdue the flames with their hoses from the inside, the Los Angeles fire chief, Jaime Moore, told The New York Times. He explained that a pressurized gas line in the area began expelling possibly toxic ammonia, so the firefighters moved away from the building and a shelter-in-place order took effect while air quality was monitored.
After nearly three hours of firefighting efforts, crews started making headway against the flames with water-dropping helicopters, reported the New York Times. Chief Moore noted that while such aircraft are normally reserved for brush fires, the fire was racing across the building’s flat roof much like a wildfire. (RELATED: Massive Fire Breaks Out At Texas Oil Refinery After Reported Explosion)
“Those water drops have proven to be effective,” said Chief Moore at a news conference, according to the outlet.
Although authorities lifted shelter-in-place orders Thursday morning, officials continue to warn residents to limit outdoor exposure as crews remain on scene monitoring air quality, according to MyNewsLA.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a particle pollution advisory covering East downtown Los Angeles and portions of the San Gabriel Valley as smoke from the fire continued to drift across the region. Residents were advised to stay indoors, close windows and doors, and use air purifiers if available.
No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire is still unknown, according to ABC7.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Lineage Logistics has faced scrutiny in the past over its handling of anhydrous ammonia safety requirements. In 2023, the company settled with the Environmental Protection Agency and agreed to pay a penalty related to chemical risk management practices at its Altoona, Iowa, facility, where more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia were stored.
The company’s Boyle Heights facility has also experienced a previous fire, according to the outlet. In August 2024, firefighters responded to a blaze involving solar panels on the warehouse roof where crews rapidly deployed hose lines, confined the fire, and extinguished it within 48 minutes. No injuries were reported in that incident.