Lineage accuses – Lineage says solar subcontractor Altus Power obstructed demolition of a fire-damaged cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, after crews were ordered to stop work this week. Altus disputes the accusation, arguing an official cause of the blaze has not been de
For the third day in a row. the cleanup at a fire-ravaged cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights has felt like it’s running on two different clocks. Lineage, which manages the facility, says it was ready to start demolition work Friday. Altus Power. the solar panel subcontractor whose rooftop equipment is suspected in the June 17 blaze. says the investigation still needs room to breathe.
In a letter sent Friday, Greg Lehmkuhl, the chief executive of Lineage, accused Altus Power of obstructing demolition efforts. He addressed the letter to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and county Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Lehmkuhl said Lineage was prepared and had the necessary permits to begin demolition work at the site Friday. as required under emergency executive orders and a Los Angeles County public health directive issued June 29. He wrote that crews were ready to remove debris when they received a notice Thursday ordering them to halt demolition.
The letter did not spell out why the pause was ordered. But Lehmkuhl suggested it may have been aimed at preserving evidence.
“Unlike Altus and other involved parties. Lineage has been on the front lines since day one. and we are committed to doing everything in our power to execute a safe and swift remediation effort. ” Lehmkuhl wrote. He added that the work planned by Lineage did not affect the suspected area of origin or materials potentially relevant to evidence preservation or further investigation.
“This is unacceptable. Public safety is our number one priority,” he wrote.
Altus Power rejected the framing. In a statement Friday, an Altus spokesperson said the company’s primary concern is the well-being of the community affected by the fire and said it is cooperating with local officials as the investigation continues.
The spokesperson said the lack of an official cause for the blaze is exactly why evidence preservation concerns remain. “In the last 24 hours multiple parties joined in asking Lineage to appropriately preserve and not destroy relevant evidence during its site remediations. ” the Altus spokesperson told The Times. “It is unfortunate that Lineage appears to be focused on pointing fingers rather than getting this community the swift clean-up and answers it deserves.”.
The dispute comes as nearby residents continue to worry about what they’re living with long after flames were brought under control. Lineage previously said the fire started days after Altus Power conducted performance tests on the warehouse rooftop on June 17.
Lehmkuhl said there is an urgent need to prevent additional flareups. clear debris. and address the persistent odor of millions of pounds of rotting food at the site. For residents living near the warehouse. that odor and the threat of lingering air pollution have become personal—and some have urged that the warehouse shut down entirely.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, weighed in with a written statement that pushed back against any attempt to use the moment to stall.
“no private party should be allowed to use process. finger-pointing. or liability disputes as an excuse to slow down cleanup that the community urgently needs. ” Jurado said in the statement to The Times. She said she was calling on Lineage. Altus. the property owner. and every involved party to cooperate immediately with the City. County. LAFD. Public Health. and regulatory agencies.
Jurado added that if evidence-preservation concerns are legitimate, they should be handled through a clear, written protocol that lets investigators do their work without delaying urgent remediation.
Crews fought the Boyle Heights warehouse fire for about a week before they got it under control. But with demolition now paused and competing explanations on the table. questions remain about how long the cleanup process will take—and what long-term repercussions. including air pollution. could follow.
For people in the neighborhood, it’s not just an investigation in the abstract. It’s a lived problem that includes the lingering smell, the fear of flareups, and the uncertainty over when normalcy can actually return.
Boyle Heights Lineage Altus Power warehouse fire solar subcontractor demolition halt Karen Bass Hilda Solis Ysabel Jurado LAFD Public Health