LAUSD students return to class while Boyle Heights still battles lingering odors and pests from the Lineage fire

Los Angeles schools are gearing up for another semester, but the air in Boyle Heights still carries a faint, unsettling scent from the blaze that gutted Lineage’s warehouse last month. The fire left behind more than blackened brick – it left a lingering smell of rotting food, a swarm of flies, and the worry that something invisible might be slipping into the lungs of nearby students.

Mayor Karen Bass has already slapped an emergency executive order on the table, essentially telling city departments to hold their horses on any plans to let Lineage rebuild until a full health‑and‑safety review is completed. She called the company’s permit request “a slap in the face to the families,” and that language has stuck in the community’s collective mind.

Local business owners are feeling the pinch, too. Leo Miguel, who co‑founded Yia Caffè, says the outdoor patio that usually hums with conversation now sits empty, “because of the smells.” He adds, “I’m still frustrated. I don’t think it’s getting better. If anything, it’s getting worse. A lot of smoke on this side too, so smoke and now smell.”

Even longtime residents like Victor Barillas, a neighborhood softball player, can’t help but sigh at the slow pace of the cleanup. “You would think with the resources L.A. has, it could be faster,” he says, “to people who live here, it’s an inconvenience, to say the least.”

Lineage, for its part, issued a statement defending its cleanup efforts, insisting it works around the clock, posts daily reports, and keeps a dedicated landing page updated. The company is also facing a daily fine of $2,000 for the unsanitary conditions and inadequate pest control that the city flagged.

Meanwhile, educators are voicing their own concerns as the first day of school looms. At a Friday press conference, United Teachers Los Angeles member Jennifer Marquez warned, “We closed our school year out with this, we’re going to open our school year up with this. It is unfair, it is unjust… this would not happen in other communities, but it’s happening in East Los Angeles.”

In response, the LAUSD says it’s taken concrete steps: every classroom within a three‑mile radius of the warehouse has received a deep cleaning, air‑purifiers have been installed, and HVAC filters have been swapped out. In total, 54 schools got the treatment, and the district says it will keep monitoring air quality as the cleanup drags on.

For families and students who simply want to sit in a classroom without worrying about a strange odor drifting in, the waiting game feels endless. The hope is that, as the site finally gets cleared, the community can breathe easier – literally and figuratively.