Dodgers play – The LA Dodgers still took the field against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday night despite a massive four-day fire in Boyle Heights that has driven a government “state of emergency,” prompting preparations for N95 masks, air purifiers, and other supplies. Balti
The smoke was the first thing you noticed at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night—an ugly, drifting haze that turned the air over Los Angeles into something heavy and uncertain. Inside, the LA Dodgers tried to treat it like any other MLB evening.
Outside. the story was still burning in Boyle Heights. where a fire has raged for several days after breaking out in a cold-storage facility. Governor Gavin Newsom declared an official “state of emergency” for the area. as firefighters continued battling the blaze in and around the facility—efforts complicated by wind that pushed the smoke into the sky and toward Dodger Stadium.
Officials kept the game going despite the concern that the MLB contest might not be able to proceed. When the Dodgers took their place under a dim, smoke-shrouded look, the question wasn’t whether baseball would happen—it was what it would take out of the people forced to breathe the aftermath.
Baltimore made sure the night would be remembered for more than the conditions. The Orioles thrashed the Dodgers 12-1, taking the series win. Colton Cowser tied his career-high with four RBIs, finishing with three hits that included a home run. Pete Alonso added a three-run homer as Baltimore put runs on the board early and kept pouring them on.
Shohei Ohtani provided the Dodgers with a rare bright spot in the 12-1 loss, hitting a home run. But it wasn’t enough to stop LA from suffering consecutive defeats for the first time since a four-game skid from May 9-12.
On the mound, Brandon Young (6-2) kept the Orioles in control, allowing one run on five hits in five innings. Baltimore is now 10-2 this season when he starts. For the Dodgers, Emmet Sheehan (3-5) struggled, giving up six runs in 3 1/3 innings.
The fire behind all of this began on Wednesday, and it set off an immediate shelter-in-place warning for neighborhood residents. That warning was lifted later that evening, then reinstated as the LAFD struggled to bring the flames under control. In the days since. helicopters have been brought in that can drop 3. 000 gallons of water at a time. and fire crews have used a special gel-type fire retardant to try to smother the blaze.
Mayor Karen Bass and Fire Department chief Jaime Moore also raised concerns over the sheer scale of what is stored inside the damaged building—about 85 million pounds of food currently decaying there. The LAFD warned that if the products decay further, they may create biohazardous conditions.
As the emergency response expanded. the government prepared supplies for residents in the area. including 5.5 million N95 masks. commercial grade air purifiers. bottled water. and other emergency items. At Dodger Stadium. though. the contest proceeded on schedule. turning the evening into a collision between elite sport and a public-health alarm still unfolding.
For the Dodgers, the loss ended a difficult stretch in the standings and turned their immediate focus to the road. Shohei Ohtani and the team now kick off a nine-game road trip with three games against Minnesota.
They’ll be hoping that by the time they return to Dodger Stadium, the haze has lifted—and that health concerns linked to the fire haven’t followed the team back home.
LA Dodgers Baltimore Orioles Shohei Ohtani Colton Cowser Pete Alonso Dodgers-Oriole game Boyle Heights fire Gavin Newsom state of emergency Dodger Stadium smoke LAFD Karen Bass Jaime Moore
Why were they allowed to play in that smoke??
N95 masks don’t do much if the smoke is like… everywhere. But MLB gonna MLB I guess. Also Dodgers lost 12-1, so of course it wasn’t a good night.
I heard it was a cold-storage thing like that meat freezer fire, and then suddenly Dodger Stadium is getting it too. Seems like they shoulda paused everything, not just “keep playing.” And people are always like oh it’s fine, but that haze looked scary on TV.
State of emergency for a fire for 4 days… and they just go on with baseball?? I mean I guess the wind decided the schedule lol. Also N95s and air purifiers in the stadium sounds like marketing, not safety. Like what if someone has asthma, are they just supposed to “deal with it” while Ohtani hits a homer?