Boyle Heights warehouse fire: Where neighbors, victims can seek financial assistance

More than two weeks after a fire broke out inside the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights, many neighbors have received N95 masks and air purified while mobile health clinics are set up in their area.

But some neighbors said the massive fire that sent toxic fume into the air and created a horrendous stench of rotting food has cost them out of pocket.

Neighbors said they missed days of work while spending extra money on property cleanup. One woman said she spent hundreds of dollars on air purified before they became more widely distributed.

Lineage, the company that operates the burned warehouse, donated $2 million to the California Community Foundation (CCF) so the money can be distributed to the community. The organization said it’s split the money between different organizations.

At least 10 of them are listed as providing financial assistance.

The Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce said it’s offering small business grants funded, in part, by the group, Inclusive Action for the City.

“We’re hoping that for brick and mortars: it would be up to $3,000. And then for our vendors, it would be up to $1,000,” Miriam Rodriguez with the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce said, adding the application is “very straightforward.” “It’s intentionally made that way so that there’s not a lot of requirements. We’re not asking for legal status. We’re not asking for pages of documentation.”