With a fire burning at a Boyle Heights cold storage warehouse for a seventh straight day, scrutiny is growing over the operator of the massive facility and what sparked the blaze that has spewed bad air across the region.
State regulators have launched an investigation into the incident, and some local officials have called it a wake-up call for communities like Boyle Heights, where homes are sandwiched close to industry and manufacturing districts.
Lineage, previously known as Lineage Logistics, the company operating the facility, is billed as the world’s largest owner of cold storage facilities and raised $4.44 billion in its U.S. initial public offering in 2024, the largest stock market debut of the year. It also has been cited for regulatory violations and hazardous chemical releases at some of its facilities, according to enforcement records and a civil lawsuit, though the company said it has a strong safety record…