LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Another lawsuit has been filed against Lineage Inc., this time by residents of multiple communities who allege their lives have been negatively impacted by the June fire at the company’s cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages while alleging public nuisance, negligence-based claims, trespass and premises liability. The plaintiffs are from Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Commerce and Montebello. The lead plaintiffs are Alicia Bonilla, Francisco Plascencia Ramirez and Esperanza Plascencia, all of whom live at the same Indiana Street residence in Boyle Heights.
“As a direct and proximate result of the fire and the resulting smoke, ash, soot, airborne particulate, toxic combustion byproducts and anhydrous ammonia and other harmful chemical releases, plaintiffs were forced to shelter in place and/or evacuate their homes under shelter-in-place orders and were directly exposed to hazardous smoke, ash, soot, particulate matter and ammonia and chemical vapor,” the suit states.
The residents have suffered such health conditions as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, persistent headaches and burning, watering, redness and irritation of the eyes, according to the suit.
The plaintiffs’ homes were inundated by flies, insects, rodents and other vermin, depriving them in varying degrees of the safe and habitable use of the residences, the suit further states.
Plaintiff Eric Lara also is suing Altus Power. Representatives for Lineage and Altus Power did not reply to requests for comment.
The fire broke out June 17 at the warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St., sending thick smoke into the air and prompting officials to warn nearby residents to remain indoors. The city, county and state issued local emergency declarations in the days that followed.
It took more than a week to fully douse the fire, though the smell of massive amounts of rotten food from inside the building remains a nuisance for neighbors.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although Lineage officials have said they believe it started while a subcontractor for Altus Power, which owns the rooftop solar array, was testing the system. Altus Power has said the cause has not been determined.
Lara lives about 1 1/2 miles from the warehouse. His suit states that he saw smoke and ash present both inside and outside his residence as well as on his car. He is a cancer patient who must leave his residence daily for treatment, according to the suit.
However, conditions continue to make it extremely difficult for Lara to leave his residence without discomfort, the suit states. Due to the shelter- in-place orders and the conditions caused by the fire, the plaintiff continues to incur expenses, including the cost of purchasing multiple air purifiers, increased utility fees from running air conditioning and air purifiers to keep the air breathable within his residence, and potential medical expenses associated with evaluating and treating respiratory symptoms, according to the suit.
Lara’s use and enjoyment of his home also has been negatively impacted, the suit alleges.
On July 23, he sued Lineage, Altus Power and other power companies. The lawsuit was recently removed from Superior Court to federal court.
The complaint includes a color photo of the early stages of the fire and the tornado-shaped smoke coming from the facility.
The proposed class of plaintiffs is made up of people who live, were present or own property in the areas affected by the evacuation and shelter-in- place orders as well as the air quality warnings.
In August 2024, another solar panel fire broke out on the roof of the Lineage warehouse, which is located in a densely populated area surrounded by homes, apartments, schools, businesses and community spaces, making the consequences of a catastrophic incident “foreseeably devastating,” the suit alleges.
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