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BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES () — Confusion continues over the cleanup of the fire-damaged Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights, as residents say they are still dealing with a persistent foul odor weeks after a massive fire damaged the facility.
Lineage on Thursday failed to meet another cleanup deadline. The company missed a city-imposed deadline last week.
Lineage said it is in the final stages of cleanup and that crews have been working around the clock to remove millions of pounds of food that began spoiling after the warehouse was heavily damaged by a fire in June.
But residents of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles say the stench of rotting meat and other food continues to affect their daily lives.
“My daughters have asthma, so they don’t live with us no more,” East Los Angeles resident George Ortega told Eyewitness News.
Another Boyle Heights resident, Hugo Garcia, said the situation has forced him to temporarily relocate older relatives.
“It feels terrible, the situation… We have to be moving my grandma and my mom to different houses,” Garcia said.
Residents also said their electricity bills have increased because they are running air conditioners continuously to keep the odor out of their homes. Some reported rat problems in the neighborhood and health concerns they believe are related to the conditions.
“It’s awful. We went to the doctor already three times. I had to take antibiotics three times,” one resident said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed frustration over the company’s shifting timeline.
“They said they were going to finish on one day and they keep moving the goal post, so we really don’t know,” Bass said.
Many residents said they remain skeptical about the cleanup process and want a clear answer on when conditions will improve.
“Come over here and live for one week. Let’s see how you will like it, and then understand what we live with,” Ortega said.
The city plans to inspect the warehouse on Friday.
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