“A fire at a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights has been burning since Wednesday afternoon, with repeated flare ups that are sending smoke across the entire region.

Here's what I am monitoring to make sure I have the most updated information.

For those closest to the fire, stay informed through LAFD Alerts (https://lafd.org/alerts) or through the Watch Duty app. This provides information about the extent of the fire, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders, and available resources like shelters.

As of 10 am this morning, LAFD crews were working to limit the fire to the building of origin, but there has continued to be large amounts of smoke, and no estimates have been provided as to when the fire will be out. Ongoing monitoring of air quality at the site is being conducted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

For those of you further from the fire, but who may be seeing and smelling smoke, here's what I use to make decisions for my family about spending time outdoors.

Any advisories from the SCAQMD are available on their website, and a regional advisory is currently in place till Sunday at 12:30 pm. The SCAQMD app also gives you an AQI number for your location. These are numbers that are calculated based off of readings from many sensors across the region, and are updated on an hourly basis.

For more detailed information, the EPA’s air quality map at fire.airnow.gov, provides information from individual sensors, and provides trends over time for each sensor, so you can see whether those numbers are getting better or getting worse in your area.

However, any smoke is not good for your health, and if you’re smelling it, AQMD recommends that you stay indoors as much as possible.”

Air Quality Updates

• AQMD

  • Current Hourly Air Quality Index Map

  • Air Quality Forecasts

  • Download their mobile app.

• AirNow

• LAFD Alerts

• Los Angeles Department of Public Health Press Releases

Stay safe and take precautions. For life-threatening symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Sign-Up For Alerts

Sign up to receive text, email, and phone call emergency alerts for your home, work, and school:

• AQMD’s Air Alerts

• County of Los Angeles emergency alerts: Alert LA County mass notification program

• Download the Watch Duty app from the App Store or visit https://app.watchduty.org.

Emergency Action Guide: What to Do During an Air Quality Crisis

Air quality hazards—whether from a sudden neighborhood factory fire, a nearby wildfire, or a severe smog advisory—can develop fast. Use this quick guide to know exactly what steps to take based on what you see, smell, or hear.

Health and Safety Tips

Smoke exposure may cause temporary irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Individuals experiencing severe or worsening symptoms, including difficulty breathing, chest pain, or significant respiratory distress, should seek medical attention immediately.

The following recommendations will help you protect yourself and your family from harmful effects of poor air quality:

• If you smell smoke or see smoke or ash at ground level, avoid vigorous physical activity and remain indoors with doors and windows closed.

• Run an air purifier if available.

• Avoid using a whole house fan or swamp cooler as they can bring polluted air indoors.

• If you see or smell smoke, or notice particles and ash in the air, stay indoors to limit exposure, especially if you have heart or lung conditions, are elderly, or have children.

• Wear an N95 or P100 mask if you must go outside in smoky conditions for long periods of time in areas with heavy smoke or where ash is present.

• If it’s too hot to keep windows and doors closed, go to a public place like a library or shopping center to stay cool and protect yourself from harmful air.

• Avoid using fireplaces, candles, or vacuums. Clean dusty surfaces with a damp cloth and don’t smoke.

• If you experience symptoms like severe coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, palpitations, nausea, or unusual fatigue, contact your doctor or go to urgent care. For life-threatening symptoms, call 911.

• Practice safe clean-up following a fire. Follow the ash clean-up and food safety instructions at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/wildfire/.

Resources

• AQMD Smoke and Ash Safety Tips

• Protect your health when particle pollution reaches unhealthy levels with the Guide for Particle Pollution (Opens in a new window)

• Protect your health when ozone pollution reaches unhealthy levels with the Guide for Ozone Pollution (Opens in a new window)

• US EPA: Create a Clean Room to Protect Indoor Air Quality During a Wildfire (Opens in a new window)

• Washington Department of Ecology: DIY Ecology: Breathe better by easily making a clean air fan (Opens in a new window) (Video)  Como hacer su propio filtro de aire limpio (Opens in a new window) (Video in Spanish)  

• Wildfires and Health (Opens in a new window) (PDF);

• California Dept. of Public Health: Safe Cleanup of Ash (Opens in a new window).

• California Dept. of Public Health DEODC Emergency Preparedness - factsheet: "Reduce Exposure to Ash When Returning Home After a Fire (Opens in a new window)" (PDF) 

• Santa Barbara County: Safe Ash Clean-Up During and After a Wildfire (Opens in a new window)

• See additional relevant Social Media feeds and Tips from Other Agencies (Opens in a new window)

For schools:

• Guidance from the California Department of Education (Opens in a new window) (PDF)

For emergency generator operators:

• Emergency Generators Wildfires Compliance Advisory (11-12-19) (Opens in a new window) (PDF)