Los Angeles residents hit with towing fees after Boyle Heights warehouse fire

A massive fire broke out on June 17, 2026 at the Lineage cold‑storage warehouse in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The facility, covering roughly 490,000‑500,000 square feet and holding an estimated 85 million pounds of frozen food, burned for more than a week before being declared under control on June 25. Smoke and the spoilage of food created health problems for nearby residents, including throat irritation and breathing difficulties, and raised concerns about rats and lingering odors.

During the emergency response, the LAPD towed nine vehicles from the streets surrounding the fire to allow fire apparatus access, citing California Vehicle Code Section 22651(n). Some owners, such as resident Juan Canil, were charged $100 to retrieve their vehicles, sparking outrage that the cars were not illegally parked. Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado pledged to waive remaining city fees and to develop new protocols for future incidents, while Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the area.