Cleaning Boyle Heights’ warehouse has been stopped by the solar operator, Lineage said

Cleanup efforts at a cold storage facility destroyed by a fire in Boyle Heights have recently become difficult.

In a letter sent Friday, Greg Lehmkuhl — the chief executive of Lineage, which runs the facility — accused Altus Power, the contractor behind the solar panel suspected of starting the June 17 fire, of interfering with demolition efforts.

According to the letter, which was written to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Lineage has prepared and has the necessary permits to begin demolition work on the site on Friday, as required under the Los Angeles County emergency and public health order issued June 29.

“Unlike Altus and the other parties involved, Lineage has been on the front lines since day one, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to make the repair effort safe and quick,” Lehmkuhl wrote.

A spokesperson for Altus said on Friday that the company’s main concern is the well-being of the community affected by the fire, adding that the company is cooperating with local officials as the investigation continues.

Lehmkuhl wrote that workers were ready to begin removing the debris when they received a notice Thursday ordering them to stop the demolition. The letter did not explain the suspension, but suggested it may have been intended to preserve evidence.

“The work we have planned does not affect the suspected place of origin or the objects that may be suitable for the preservation of evidence or further investigation,” Lehmkuhl wrote. “This is unacceptable. Public safety is our priority.”

However, a spokesperson for Altus Power said that because the cause of the fire had not yet been determined, concerns about the investigation had stopped.

“Over the past 24 hours, multiple parties have joined in asking Lineage to properly preserve and not destroy relevant evidence during site maintenance,” an Altus spokesperson told The Times. “It is sad that Lineage seems to focus on pointing fingers at people rather than making this community clean quickly and with the answers it deserves.”

Lineage previously said the fire started days after Altus Power conducted performance tests on the warehouse’s roof on June 17.

Lehmkuhl said there is an urgent need to prevent further outbreaks, clean up debris and deal with the lingering odor of millions of pounds of rotting food at the site.

Many Residents who live near this store expressed concern their health and loved ones, some call the warehouse close completely.

Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said in a written statement that “no private entity should be allowed to use process, finger-pointing, or debt disputes as an excuse to cut back on urgently needed community cleanups.”

“I am asking Lineage, Altus, the property owner, and all parties involved to immediately cooperate with the City, County, LAFD, Public Health, and regulatory agencies,” Jurado said in a statement to The Times. “If there are legitimate complaints about the preservation of evidence, they must be dealt with in a clear and written process that allows investigators to do their job without delaying urgent repairs.”

Crews battled the fire at the Boyle Heights store for about a week before bringing it under control. Questions remain about how long the cleanup process will take, and what long-term effects there may be from the resulting air pollution.