Boyle Heights' latest shelter-in-place order has been lifted from a massive warehouse fire

The latest shelter-in-place order for residents surrounding the Boyle Heights cold storage facility has been lifted, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced Friday.

A large cold storage facility fire at 1400 S. Los Palos St. broke out on Wednesday afternoon. The fire is mainly in the roof area covered with solar-panel. The LAFD previously said flames reaching an ammonia line led to a small explosion.

The building is so large and the flames in hard-to-reach areas have required firefighters to be creative in their own way, using helicopters that drop water and other heavy equipment.

The multi-day effort was full of challenges for the firefighters.

The fire at first grew into a huge inferno, creating a column of black smoke that could be seen in the distance. The fire reached the ammonia line, causing a small explosion and a dramatic image of flames shooting from the roof of the building as workers evacuated the area to avoid the smoke.

Residents in the main area were told to shelter in place, but that order was lifted later Wednesday night.

On Thursday, workers found more flames in a different part of the building, prompting them to issue another shelter-in-place order. They issued that order on Friday shortly before 11:30 am

“Overnight we were able to remove the ammonia tanks that were in the area that we were concerned about,” an LAFD official told KTLA during a television interview. “[They’ve] it has been completely removed from the site.”

But some challenges to the fire remain, the official told KTLA.

“In the beginning, the solar panels were on fire, including the roofing material, nine centimeters of foam,” he said. “Inside it went into the cold, piled up at least 58 feet high in each area. Lots of boxes and pallets on fire. Things that could fall on fire fighters, so we can't go in there.”

The official also explained that large machines were used to drill a hole in the wall of the building so that the fire places could be easily accessed by the pipes. Crews also worked to eliminate other hazards that prevented firefighters from entering the building. This includes heavy machinery with lithium-ion batteries and high-voltage power lines connected to solar panels.

“As we remove those hazards, we're getting closer and closer to putting firefighters inside to get those hose lines where they need to be to put it out completely,” he said.

The LAFD warning Friday morning announcing the shelter-in-place order has been lifted and warned that “although smoke has subsided in the area, people sensitive to smoke should continue …

Smoke from the fire also prompted a special particulate pollution advisory from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. It will currently be open until 12:30 pm on Saturday.

The nearly 500,000-square-foot building is owned by Lineage Logistics.