The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health fined Lineage Logistics for what they called “unsanitary and unsanitary conditions” at the company's damaged Boyle Heights warehouse, where residents have been dealing with rats, flies and the smell of rotting food for weeks.
The agency, which released its initial statement Thursday, requires the company to remove about 85 million pounds of rotting food from inside the warehouse, remove all fly breeding sources, clean up affected areas, implement vector control measures and take steps to prevent flies from entering nearby areas.
The citation fined Lineage a total of $500, according to a statement from the public health department. Fines will be issued daily until the violation is corrected, and fines may be added if the company does not comply.
Dynasty officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
The LA County Department of Public Health issued the fines following an initial inspection of the facility on July 15 and a follow-up one a week later, officials said in a statement.
During the second inspection, inspectors found rotting garbage, contaminated water, food scraps, unsanitary conditions that allowed breeding of flies, and live and dead flies in the northern area of the warehouse.
Fly larvae were also seen on the exterior plastics and on the north side of the damaged building.
Inspectors monitor corrective actions and regularly check whether they are being followed, according to the public health department.
The fines come a month after firefighters declared the official containment of the shed fire, which sent thick smoke into surrounding areas and into Southern California.
The fire also left the company with the major task of removing approximately 85 million pounds of food, including meat, that was stored in cold storage. At the town hall meeting, Lineage Chief Operating Officer Jeff Rivera said the cleanup began on July 6.
But in recent weeks, the stench of rotting food has permeated the surrounding areas.
Residents told The Times newspaper that they saw rats running in and out of the warehouse, and large blue and green flies were infested in the area.
Many residents said they refused to turn on air conditioners or open windows and doors during the recent heatwave because they feared it would absorb the stench of rotting food. Some have expressed concern that a swarm of flies may enter their homes.
Lineage has previously said it will comply with an order issued by Mayor Karen Bass to remove millions of pounds within 45 days.
With the deadline looming, Lineage has since Friday removed 1,395 truckloads — about 6,399 tons — of trash from the warehouse, according to the company's online tracking.
The fines from the county's Department of Public Health also come about a week after air quality regulators issued a series of violations for odors emanating from the facility.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued six violation notices to the company, and on July 17, sent a letter ordering Lineage to take additional steps to reduce odors, including using odor inhibitors on waste trucks, daily scrubbing of waste loading areas and sealing perishable food inside the building before loading it onto trucks.
The company responded to AQMD on Monday, saying that it has already taken these steps or is in the process of doing so. For example, the company surrounds the building with odor control sprays, applies an odor neutralizer to the waste several times a day, and wraps the building where possible to contain the odor, according to the statement.
But in its letter, the company backtracked on some of the suggested measures. Placing food waste in sealed containers inside the building before removal, for example, could significantly increase the time required to clean the entire area, the company argued.
“This search for Lineage may add several months to the removal effort, where the smell of time may linger,” according to the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by the Times.
