Drone video released Saturday showed plumes of smoke emanating from a warehouse east of downtown Los Angeles as firefighters battled the sprawling blaze for a third day. Image courtesy Los Angeles Fire Department/Facebook
Firefighters battling a massive fire at a Los Angeles warehouse that has darkened skies around the city cited progress against the smoldering blaze in an update issued Sunday.
The fire, which broke out Wednesday in the Boyle Heights neighborhood just east of downtown Los Angeles, caused smoke to blanket the surrounding area and prompted an emergency declaration from Mayor Karen Bass.
Her declaration triggered the opening of 24-hour-per-day smoke relief centers for residents who could not shelter-in-place as officials urged those in the area to stay inside and avoid strenuous activities.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also declared an emergency over the “Palos Fire” as drone videos released by the Los Angeles Fire Department showed the extensive scope of the blaze consuming a 500,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse.
The LAFD on Sunday said despite facing formidable challenges they made important progress and have contained the conflagration to one side of structure.
“Overnight, firefighters removed portions of the exterior wall to improve access and allow for more effective water application to areas of the fire that were otherwise inaccessible,” a department spokesman added.
Among the biggest challenges firefighters are facing is the extreme difficultly of getting inside of the warehouse due to the presence of giant storage racks impeding their movements and threatening their safety.
Many of the solar panels arrayed atop of the structure have been taken offline and several lithium-ion batteries have been removed, “significantly reducing hazards to both firefighters and the surrounding community,” the department said.
“Large volumes of water” were being applied to blaze a day after a thick, gel-like substance was dropped onto the building from aircraft.
A plume of smoke from the fire was visible for miles, affecting visibility at nearby Dodger Stadium on Sunday as the Los Angeles Dodgers prepared to take on the Baltimore Orioles.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters before the game the contest would go on as scheduled despite a heavy haze hanging over the field, citing assurances from Major League Baseball and local officials that it was safe to do so.
“It’s a little dark out there,” Roberts said. “A little Gotham City when I was driving up. But I’m hopeful that the information we’re getting is right.”
