State and local authorities executed a search warrant at the fire-damaged Lineage cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights as part of an active criminal investigation. Sworn peace officers from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) Criminal Investigations Bureau, alongside representatives from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and local police, arrived at the 500,000-square-foot facility on Tuesday morning to inspect administrative offices and secure the property.
The criminal probe stems from an environmental and safety inquiry launched after a massive fire erupted on the building’s solar-array-covered roof on June 17. The blaze burned for eight days. It sent thick, acrid smoke over the neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles and set off months of community disruption, health complaints, and a massive cleanup operation to clear millions of pounds of rotting food.
Details of the DTSC-Led Search Warrant
Surveillance footage captured law enforcement units arriving at the facility around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Approximately 20 unmarked vehicles entered the parking lot and blocked entrances while officers secured the administrative offices. An agent with the DTSC confirmed that the agency’s Criminal Investigations Unit is leading the probe, which focuses on potential violations of state hazardous-waste laws.
Investigators from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office were also present and later confirmed they are actively supporting the DTSC’s ongoing investigation. While authorities declined to specify what evidence they were looking for, the raid marks a significant escalation from previous regulatory oversight.
Lineage’s Response and Safety Reassurances
In a statement issued following the raid, Lineage emphasized its cooperation with regulatory agencies and reiterated that the facility was not used to store hazardous materials.
“To be clear, we do not store hazardous chemicals or products in this facility. We store food,” Lineage stated. “Further, the facility’s ammonia refrigeration system was safely pumped out shortly after the fire began and before the fire reached the refrigeration system. The ammonia was subsequently removed from the site.”
The company also noted that environmental monitoring conducted after the fire consistently showed results within normal neighborhood levels. No ammonia concentrations exceeded health-based action levels. The Los Angeles Fire Department previously reported that no ammonia was detected during its initial emergency response.
Community Impact and Political Pressure
The execution of the search warrant follows months of mounting frustration among Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles residents. In the weeks following the June fire, residents reported persistent health issues-including headaches, nausea, and throat irritation. They also faced a severe infestation of flies and pests caused by roughly 89 million pounds of rotting meat and food left inside the disabled cold-storage facility.
Local advocacy groups, such as the Eastside Padres and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, recently held press conferences. They demanded a formal criminal probe after the Los Angeles Fire Department stated that the exact cause of the fire could not be definitively determined, though solar panels could not be ruled out as an ignition source.
Elected officials welcomed the criminal investigation as a crucial step toward transparency and accountability. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, whose emergency executive order called on the DTSC to investigate and pursue enforcement action at the site, emphasized that residents of Boyle Heights and East L.A. deserve comprehensive environmental justice. District 14 City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado similarly noted that the community deserves clear answers regarding health risks, long-term site safety, and corporate responsibility.
