The report warned green bottle flies could grow rapidly in the waste of the Boyle Heights warehouse. Carolyn Johnson reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Waste and high temperatures at a fire-damaged cold storage warehouse in Boyle Heights could accelerate the breeding of flies capable of infecting wounds in people and animals, according to the city-comissioned inspection report exclusively obtained by NBC Los Angeles
NBC4 Investigates reviewed the undated, four-page report, which was prepared by a pest-control company. It focuses on green bottle flies found at the Lineage facility after the massive, week-long industrial fire that broke out on June 17. For over a month, residents and business owners near the property have dealt with flies and foul odors have spread through the surrounding neighborhood, largely from millions of pounds of rotting food inside the warehouse
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“There’s a lot of flies because of the warehouse situation coming over here,” Boyle Heights resident Ashley said
Local business owner Elias Pocon said conditions have worsened since the fire
“Since we had a fire down the block, flies have been horrible. The smell has been horrible,” he said
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The inspection report warned that green bottle flies reproduce rapidly in waste, particularly during hot weather, and can spread beyond the facility into nearby neighborhoods
“Green bottle flies can cause myiasis, which is an infectious disease caused by the flies laying eggs in open wounds of either humans or animals,” the report stated. “This disease can cause irritation, ulcers, and in some cases even death.”
The report said the number of flies around the property could put people or animals with open wounds at risk of contracting the disease
Residents said the fly infestation has forced them to keep their homes sealed
“We can’t go out,” Ashley said, adding that doors and windows must remain closed
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has called for additional action from Lineage to address conditions not only on its property but also in nearby communities
In a July 21 letter to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Bass described the infestation as one of the most serious risks associated with the property
“Possibly the worst manifestation of these risks is the severe infestation of flies in Boyle Heights and neighboring communities,” Bass wrote
The county health department previously ordered Lineage to take all necessary steps to eliminate fly-breeding conditions on the property. Bass said the company should also be required to address the infestation in surrounding neighborhoods
“Lineage must quickly be held equally accountable for the infestation of flies present in the adjacent communities and ordered to take direct action to eliminate the flies,” she wrote
Lineage said it has expanded pest-control efforts at the site with assistance from Orkin
“Lineage has expanded its pest-control efforts with support from Orkin to help reduce fly and rodent activity around the site and minimize impacts on nearby residents and businesses,” the company said in a statement
The company said it had distributed about 350 fly traps to community members and planned to provide an additional 800 traps
Lineage also said it had increased sanitation around dumpsters and established ongoing monitoring to track fly and rodent activity
LA City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado who represents the Boyle Heights said in a statement that she’s “outraged that weeks after this disaster, families are still being forced to live with its consequences.”
“Temporary traps are not enough,” Jurado said. “The report makes clear that this crisis will not end until the waste at the Lineage property is fully removed.”
The report came as the cleanup efforts continued at the Boyle Heights facility, which has received ate least six six notices of violation from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), for failing to control odors from the site, leading to more than 900 complaints from nearby residents about the noxious smells
As of Wednesday, 3,195 tons of the now-rotting material had been removed from the site The spoiled food is being transported to the Simi Valley Landfill in Ventura County, the El Sobrante Landfill in Corona and Hazmat TSDF Inc., a hazardous waste facility in Rialto
This week, Lineage submitted its odor-mitigation plans to the SCAQMD. The measures include odor-control sprayers being installed around the warehouse, application of odor-neutralizer to the waste multiple times per day, and wrapping the building where possible to control odors
Other steps include: — attaching carbon filters to portions of the building — daily washing of areas with runoff and loading areas — emptying and washing of drains used to collect runoff — transporting food waste in sealed containers — washing truck tires before they leave the property — immediate sealing of loaded trucks, with no loaded trucks remaining on the property for more than 12 hours
