Boyle Heights fire: What to know about safety orders, air quality

A fire involving thick smoke and an ammonia gas leak inside a cold storage facility prompted health warnings over air quality on Wednesday in Boyle Heights.

Shelter in place

A shelter-in-place order was in effect from roughly from south of the 101 Freeway to Washington Boulevard, and east of Soto Street to Indiana Street. That order was lifted around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday after the fire was extinguished and crews continued to monitor air quality and water runoff.

Residents in those areas were temporarily told to:

• Close all windows and doors.
• Turn off air conditioning/heating.
• Bring all people and pets to an inside room.
• Close vents.

Smoke advisory

• An air quality advisory was in place east of downtown Los Angeles and in portions of the San Gabriel Valley until 10 a.m. Thursday, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
  
• A smoke advisory was issued for a broad swath of East Los Angeles, with members of the public urged to limit outdoor exercise and those with health issues to remain indoors.
  
• L.A. County also urged residents to “use caution when outdoors in the area of Montebello, Monterey Park and surrounding areas. If sensitive to health issues, go indoors. Close all doors/windows and limit outside activities. Limit exposure to outdoor air. For emergencies call 911.”
  
• The National Weather Service forecast for the area called for “southwest winds 6-12 mph to continue into the evening.”

Evacuations

A small number of people nearest to the site of the fire were evacuated from just around the fire, on Pacific, Union and Los Palos streets.