An unbearable rotting stench is plaguing an LA neighbourhood
On any typical day, Alexis Sicairos and his girlfriend have a line of patrons waiting to order a banana buzz latte or a cloud matcha at their Los Angeles coffee stand. But now, the street corner where they sit is largely empty.
The reason is clear the second you walk into the neighbourhood: it stinks.
On 17 June, a fire destroyed a large cold-storage warehouse in the area, leaving behind some 85 million lb (39 million kg) of rotting food, including beef, pork, poultry and seafood.
Nearly two months later, residents of Boyle Heights say the clean-up has taken a lot longer than expected and they've grown frustrated with the pungent odour hovering over the area.
"It smells really bad, like really bad... to the point that you want to throw up," says Mesha, a 37-year-old security guard stationed outside a marijuana dispensary.
She likens the smell to that of a dead body.
Lineage, the company that operated the warehouse, said that as of Monday about 80% of the food waste had been removed. But city officials said this week that the company's response had "fallen short" and that they have issued public health and safety violation notices.
Many residents blame the city for what they deem an inadequate response to the fire and a lack of transparency and resources.
"I understand why residents are frustrated," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told the BBC in a statement. "They deserve transparency, clear communication, and meaningful support. Since day one, I have been in Boyle Heights listening to residents, meeting with families, and making sure their voices guide our response."
The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, said she directed city departments to work with local, state, federal, nonprofit and community partners to deliver immediate support and solutions.
Bass has also issued executive orders to mobilise resources and speed up the cleaning process. The city says they and other local partners have brought mobile health clinics to the neighbourhood and delivered thousands of air purifiers.
Late last month, the county's public health department fined Lineage for "unsanitary and nuisance" conditions with $500-a-day citations.
The mayor has given Lineage a 13 August deadline to complete the cleanup. The company said on Monday that it was 80% of the way there - up from 60% on 31 July.
"Our goal is to complete bulk food waste removal from the site next week," a Lineage spokesperson told the BBC on Wednesday. It expects to spend $80m-$100m (£59m-£74m) on the cleanup.
Outside the warehouse, dozens of workers in hard hats and neon vests can be seen tackling the effort, some wearing face coverings. Officials with the local air quality authority and sheriff's office were also on-site.
But Bass criticised the company's efforts in a letter to Lineage shareholders on Tuesday.
"Residents, public agencies and elected officials have repeatedly sought timely information regarding the cleanup, remediation, environmental monitoring and recovery," she wrote.
"Too often, those requests have been met with delayed communication, limited transparency, and insufficient public engagement."
The mayor also directed city departments to halt plans to rebuild the warehouse "until the health and safety of the community are protected".
Lineage, which is a temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company, says "cleanup crews are working around the clock to remove food waste, clear debris and dismantle damaged sections of the structure.
"However, this is a highly complex operation," they say, adding that reducing odours is a "key priority" in their cleanup effort.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
Heaps of rotting meat have been festering in the summer sun after a fire ripped through a huge food warehouse
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
On any typical day, Alexis Sicairos and his girlfriend have a line of patrons waiting to order a banana buzz latte or a cloud matcha at their Los Angeles coffee stand. But now, the street corner where they sit is largely empty.
The reason is clear the second you walk into the neighbourhood: it stinks.
On 17 June, a fire destroyed a large cold-storage warehouse in the area, leaving behind some 85 million lb (39 million kg) of rotting food, including beef, pork, poultry and seafood.
Nearly two months later, residents of Boyle Heights say the clean-up has taken a lot longer than expected and they've grown frustrated with the pungent odour hovering over the area.
"It smells really bad, like really bad... to the point that you want to throw up," says Mesha, a 37-year-old security guard stationed outside a marijuana dispensary.
She likens the smell to that of a dead body.
Lineage, the company that operated the warehouse, said that as of Monday about 80% of the food waste had been removed. But city officials said this week that the company's response had "fallen short" and that they have issued public health and safety violation notices.
Many residents blame the city for what they deem an inadequate response to the fire and a lack of transparency and resources.
"I understand why residents are frustrated," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told the BBC in a statement. "They deserve transparency, clear communication, and meaningful support. Since day one, I have been in Boyle Heights listening to residents, meeting with families, and making sure their voices guide our response."
The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, said she directed city departments to work with local, state, federal, nonprofit and community partners to deliver immediate support and solutions.
Bass has also issued executive orders to mobilise resources and speed up the cleaning process. The city says they and other local partners have brought mobile health clinics to the neighbourhood and delivered thousands of air purifiers.
Late last month, the county's public health department fined Lineage for "unsanitary and nuisance" conditions with $500-a-day citations.
The mayor has given Lineage a 13 August deadline to complete the cleanup. The company said on Monday that it was 80% of the way there - up from 60% on 31 July.
"Our goal is to complete bulk food waste removal from the site next week," a Lineage spokesperson told the BBC on Wednesday. It expects to spend $80m-$100m (£59m-£74m) on the cleanup.
Outside the warehouse, dozens of workers in hard hats and neon vests can be seen tackling the effort, some wearing face coverings. Officials with the local air quality authority and sheriff's office were also on-site.
But Bass criticised the company's efforts in a letter to Lineage shareholders on Tuesday.
"Residents, public agencies and elected officials have repeatedly sought timely information regarding the cleanup, remediation, environmental monitoring and recovery," she wrote.
"Too often, those requests have been met with delayed communication, limited transparency, and insufficient public engagement."
The mayor also directed city departments to halt plans to rebuild the warehouse "until the health and safety of the community are protected".
Lineage, which is a temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company, says "cleanup crews are working around the clock to remove food waste, clear debris and dismantle damaged sections of the structure.
"However, this is a highly complex operation," they say, adding that reducing odours is a "key priority" in their cleanup effort.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
On any typical day, Alexis Sicairos and his girlfriend have a line of patrons waiting to order a banana buzz latte or a cloud matcha at their Los Angeles coffee stand. But now, the street corner where they sit is largely empty.
The reason is clear the second you walk into the neighbourhood: it stinks.
On 17 June, a fire destroyed a large cold-storage warehouse in the area, leaving behind some 85 million lb (39 million kg) of rotting food, including beef, pork, poultry and seafood.
Nearly two months later, residents of Boyle Heights say the clean-up has taken a lot longer than expected and they've grown frustrated with the pungent odour hovering over the area.
"It smells really bad, like really bad... to the point that you want to throw up," says Mesha, a 37-year-old security guard stationed outside a marijuana dispensary.
She likens the smell to that of a dead body.
Lineage, the company that operated the warehouse, said that as of Monday about 80% of the food waste had been removed. But city officials said this week that the company's response had "fallen short" and that they have issued public health and safety violation notices.
Many residents blame the city for what they deem an inadequate response to the fire and a lack of transparency and resources.
"I understand why residents are frustrated," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told the BBC in a statement. "They deserve transparency, clear communication, and meaningful support. Since day one, I have been in Boyle Heights listening to residents, meeting with families, and making sure their voices guide our response."
The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, said she directed city departments to work with local, state, federal, nonprofit and community partners to deliver immediate support and solutions.
Bass has also issued executive orders to mobilise resources and speed up the cleaning process. The city says they and other local partners have brought mobile health clinics to the neighbourhood and delivered thousands of air purifiers.
Late last month, the county's public health department fined Lineage for "unsanitary and nuisance" conditions with $500-a-day citations.
The mayor has given Lineage a 13 August deadline to complete the cleanup. The company said on Monday that it was 80% of the way there - up from 60% on 31 July.
"Our goal is to complete bulk food waste removal from the site next week," a Lineage spokesperson told the BBC on Wednesday. It expects to spend $80m-$100m (£59m-£74m) on the cleanup.
Outside the warehouse, dozens of workers in hard hats and neon vests can be seen tackling the effort, some wearing face coverings. Officials with the local air quality authority and sheriff's office were also on-site.
But Bass criticised the company's efforts in a letter to Lineage shareholders on Tuesday.
"Residents, public agencies and elected officials have repeatedly sought timely information regarding the cleanup, remediation, environmental monitoring and recovery," she wrote.
"Too often, those requests have been met with delayed communication, limited transparency, and insufficient public engagement."
The mayor also directed city departments to halt plans to rebuild the warehouse "until the health and safety of the community are protected".
Lineage, which is a temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company, says "cleanup crews are working around the clock to remove food waste, clear debris and dismantle damaged sections of the structure.
"However, this is a highly complex operation," they say, adding that reducing odours is a "key priority" in their cleanup effort.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Heaps of rotting meat have been festering in the summer sun after a fire ripped through a huge food warehouse