One cannot walk through the area, which is mostly a warehouse district surrounded by homes, without swatting away countless flies, both big and small, including black, blue and green ones.
As Sicairos packs up his coffee stand for the day, flies are landing on his tables and his body. He acknowledges that patrons don’t want to see flies when they’re purchasing food or drinks to consume.
A city-commissioned inspection report found that waste and high temperatures at the warehouse could speed up the breeding of flies capable of infecting wounds in both people and animals, a local NBC affiliate reported, external.
The report from a pest control company said it could put people and animals with open wounds at risk of contracting disease.
People in the community have also reported seeing large rats, and they say traps placed along sidewalks aren’t big enough to hold them.
Many residents blame the city for what they deem an inadequate response to the fire and a lack of transparency and resources.
“I understand why residents are frustrated,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told the BBC in a statement. “They deserve transparency, clear communication, and meaningful support. Since day one, I have been in Boyle Heights listening to residents, meeting with families, and making sure their voices guide our response.”
The mayor, who is up for re-election this year, said she directed city departments to work with local, state, federal, nonprofit and community partners to deliver immediate support and solutions.
Bass has also issued executive orders to mobilise resources and speed up the cleaning process. The city says they and other local partners have brought mobile health clinics to the neighbourhood and delivered thousands of air purifiers.
Late last month, the county’s public health department fined Lineage for “unsanitary and nuisance” conditions with $500-a-day citations.
The mayor has given Lineage a 13 August deadline to complete the cleanup. The company said on Monday they are 80% of the way there – up from 60% on July 31.
“Our goal is to complete bulk food waste removal from the site next week,” a Lineage spokesperson told the BBC on Wednesday. They expect to spend between $80 million to $100 million on the cleanup.
Outside the warehouse, dozens of workers in hard hats and neon vests can be seen tackling the effort, some wearing face coverings. Officials with the local air quality authority and sheriff’s office were also on site.
