A video of a lone firefighter battling a massive warehouse fire in Boyle Heights has emerged on X as California Governor Gavin Newsom officially announced a state of emergency for Los Angeles County.
Newsom’s emergency order will serve to streamline the city’s response by suspending various public contracting rules, as well as allowing for the rapid deployment of specialised equipment and supplies.
5.5 million N95 respirator masks, commercial-grade air purifiers for local relief centres, and advanced air quality monitoring equipment are some of the state-provided assets being funnelled into the region, The Sunday Guardian reported.
The fire ignited last week, but it has been stubborn and difficult to suppress due to the building’s massive inventory, estimated at 85 million pounds of rotting food products, as well as a rooftop solar array and dangerous lithium-ion batteries.
The air is thick, the smoke is on the ground level of residential neighborhoods in East LA. People are getting sick from the Boyle Heights fire as the toxic smoke gets inside homes and lingers in the air.
