Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) on Saturday declared a state of emergency in California after a warehouse fire in Boyle Heights continued burning after it first ignited on Wednesday.“California is mobilizing to support Los Angeles as firefighters and emergency personnel continue their work to contain this fire and protect surrounding communities,” Newsom said. “While local officials continue to lead this response, the State of California is prepared to safeguard public health, support emergency operations, and assist impacted residents.”Newsom said the emergency order allows state and local agencies to mobilize resources under the California Disaster Assistance Act to respond to the incident at a frozen food storage facility east of downtown Los Angeles. The governor said agencies are preparing N95 masks, commercial-grade air purifiers, bottled water, and other emergency supplies to be delivered to the region.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a local emergency declaration just hours before Newsom’s after smoke continued spreading throughout the region.The Los Angeles fire chief, Jaime Moore, said there is concern for the possibility of a biohazard, as the warehouse, Lineage, houses frozen bread and meat products. Moore said it could create an “unpleasant” smell in the area, adding that the department has already removed chemicals from the facility.“It would be a horrible odor, but what we’re looking at is what those gases would produce or create,” Moore said. “We’ve already mitigated the hazardous materials portion by removing the ammonia and other chemicals that were used as refrigerants. … Now it’s really what’s going to happen when this food starts decomposing?”HUGO GURDON: IRAN DEAL WALKS AND QUACKS LIKE A DISASTERThe blaze first erupted on Wednesday, and a shelter-in-place was issued for neighboring residents, which was lifted that evening before being reinstated Thursday as firefighters cleared smoke from the building. The second shelter-in-place order was lifted Friday morning, but flare-ups in and around the building have continued.Los Angeles is set to host a World Cup match on Sunday between Belgium and Iran, and the city will host two additional matches this week. Newsom and Bass did not mention whether or not their emergency orders would affect the events at the Los Angeles stadium. FIFA does not appear to have any protocol for when wildfires or smoke interfere with its matches.
