Lineage Cleanup Stalls Over 85 Million Pounds of Food Waste as Altus Presses Evidence Preservation
Updated
Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 4
Lineage Cleanup Stalls Over 85 Million Pounds of Food Waste as Altus Presses Evidence Preservation
3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 4
Summary
45 days after Mayor Karen Bass ordered the site cleared, Lineage said a planned Friday demolition start was halted after Altus Power and others sought to preserve fire evidence at the Boyle Heights warehouse.
Bass's office said the city has not asked Lineage to demolish any part of the building and is instead demanding rapid removal of rotting food and debris, saying no court order blocks that work.
Lineage told city leaders debris was pre-treated, containers were staged for landfill shipments starting Monday, and LAFD investigators had confirmed they did not require a halt to the work.
Altus previously disputed Lineage's claim that rooftop solar testing sparked the June 17 fire, while Councilmember Ysabel Jurado called for a written evidence-preservation protocol that does not delay urgent remediation.
The standoff extends a cleanup after a blaze that burned for days, sent toxic smoke over Boyle Heights and left residents complaining of headaches, nausea and a persistent stench.