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BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES () — As investigators continue working to determine the cause of a warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, UCLA researchers are collecting environmental samples to better understand what hazardous chemicals may have been released during the incident.
Amid ongoing cleanup efforts, researchers and professors from UCLA have been gathering ash, dust and water samples near the warehouse site.
“There’s a lot of rotten food, so the smell is very strong,” UCLA researcher Jing Li said.
Researchers collected ash samples from vehicles, dust samples from street signs and water samples from a pond that popped up outside the warehouse.
The team worked in conditions marked by strong odors and smoke, and in close proximity to homes.
“The stench – it was like a campfire stench mixed with a weird, sickly sweetness,” said Maxwell Finnegan, a UCLA Ph.D. student.
The UCLA team refined its sampling techniques following the Palisades and Eaton fires. On Friday, researchers demonstrated how nanoparticle levels skyrocketed downwind of the warehouse. They have also installed small particle collectors at elevated locations.
Researchers expect results from the sampling effort in a few weeks. They hope to determine the concentrations of heavy metals and “forever chemicals” that may have been released and dispersed by the fire.
“With the wind, they go all around – so we are looking for how far they have gone,” said Sanjay Mohanty of UCLA.
“We want to have a more comprehensive understanding about what is really going on in the whole environment,” UCLA professor Yifang Zhu said.
As crews continue to hose down the warehouse and smoke begins to clear, the financial cost of the fire response is also becoming clearer.
The city administrator officer told 7 On Your Side Investigates that the city has spent about $4.45 million as of Thursday.
As the cleanup gets underway, state and federal funds could be used to cover some of the costs, according to the city administrator officer.
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