Boyle Heights residents are calling for the closure of the Lineage warehouse after a fire

Boyle Heights crews continued to work Thursday to sift through millions of pounds of rotting food in hopes of returning the cold storage facility and the surrounding area to normal.

But far away, a group of about 50 residents and community activists – who have endured days of black smoke and, now, stench – say they don’t want things to go back to the way they were before the fire broke out at the warehouse where Lineage operates.

“It’s really hard for us to live like this,” said Alma Lagunas, a resident and community organizer. Ancestry “needs to be cleansed and never [come] back.”

Behind him, the crowd shouted in Spanish, “Que se vayan!” (“They have to go!”)

It’s unclear how long cleanup efforts will take in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, where large warehouses and other industrial buildings abut residential homes. Lineage did not immediately respond to questions Thursday.

In a circle at the corner of La Puerta and Olympic Boulevard, residents say they faced thick smoke after the fire that broke out on June 17. Now they say the smell from the 85 million kilograms of rotting food that was stored in a frozen storage facility is forcing them and their children to stay indoors.

“My boys love sports, and they can’t be outside,” said Lagunas.

Soledad Martinez, a 77-year-old resident who has lived in the area for 45 years, said the smoke and uncertainty have made life in her neighborhood unbearable.

He lives about four blocks from the Lineage store and says the smell, at times, is like burning chicken and feathers. Sometimes, it’s so hard it’s like sticking his head in an old garbage can that has never been cleaned.

“In all the years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen anything so bad,” said Martinez. “My question is, when will this end? We can’t live like this.

Contractors at Lineage’s large warehouse on Thursday had placed fans and wives near the charred remains of the building, which had walls torn down so firefighters could spray water into the building.

Empty dishes and bags full of food sat inside metal racks. Contractors could be seen replacing the missing walls with long white sheets.

In a previous statement, Lineage estimated that approximately 5,000 truckloads of rotten food had to be removed from the interior. How long it would take to do that was unclear.

Lineage CEO Greg Lehmkuhl noted that the company has been in the area for more than 20 years, and that it was committed to cleaning up “until things get back to normal.”

But some residents insist that is not what they want.

“The cleanup must be done now and quickly,” said Maria Jauregui, a 62-year-old resident who lives in about four houses in the Lineage neighborhood.

He said he lives with his elderly father who cannot go outside to talk to the neighbors or sit near the orange tree at home to relieve the smell. He also recently went to the emergency room because he was having trouble breathing, he said.

“We don’t want Lineage to rebuild now, or ever again,” he said.

Los Angeles city officials said they will be held accountable for those who caused the fire and its aftermath, and that they have taken steps to provide services to the nearby community.

City officials have requested that the trash inside the warehouse be removed within 45 days.

Los Angeles Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents the area, understands why some residents would want the warehouse closed, according to a spokeswoman for the facility.

“No community should be expected to just go back to work as usual while residents are still dealing with odors, rotting food, garbage disposal, vermin, and unanswered questions about what happened,” said the speaker in a statement.

For now, Jurado’s focus is ensuring that the cleanup happens quickly and efficiently, but the spokesperson said the reopening of the facility should not be taken for granted.

“Prior to any discussions about resuming work, a full account of the cause of the fire, the facility’s compliance history, the safety measures in place, and what enforcement safeguards would be required to prevent this from happening again,” said the spokesperson. “Any decision regarding future operations must follow the appropriate regulatory and public review process.”

On Wednesday, Mayor Karen Bass’ office announced that several mobile clinics have been opened in Boyle Heights due to the fire. The clinics, according to a statement from the mayor’s office, do not require an appointment and can provide respiratory health tests, oxygen level tests, asthma tests, blood pressure tests, basic tests, and eye and skin irritation checks.

Bass’ office did not respond to questions about some residents’ demands that the Lineage warehouse be closed permanently. In a statement, the Mayor’s spokesperson said the Mayor wants to make sure that conditions improve in the affected areas.

“Mayor Bass has made it clear that the public must be involved in all measures to correct the situation,” the statement read. “He will not accept a recovery plan that restores the status quo. He is committed to making sure that this community is safer going forward than before the fire started.”

But some residents Thursday said city officials, and Lineage, need to do more.

“I can’t eat because the smell is in my mouth,” said 56-year-old Brenda Wenger.