Two Southern California industrial incidents have left residents pressing for answers. Families either had to leave their homes or stay indoors, even though the facilities involved had already failed inspections and were still operating.
The incidents involved toxic smoke in Boyle Heights and a threat of an explosion in Garden Grove.
According to Palo Alto Online, regulators at the state and local levels were aware for years that both sites used hazardous chemicals, had documented issues there, and still signed off on plans or closed out violations before the emergencies occurred.
What happened?
In Boyle Heights, 84-year-old resident Manuel Valle rode through smoke-filled streets, handing out 50 N95 masks to neighbors while a fire burned for days at a Lineage food storage facility…