LOS ANGELES, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The massive warehouse fire in Los Angeles, which has sent heavy smoke across parts of the largest metropolitan area in the western United States for more than a week, is expected to be extinguished soon, local fire officials said Wednesday.
"We made great advancements," said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Nicholas Ferrari in a video posted on Facebook, noting that the agency is on schedule with its strategy and tactics to mitigate the fire in a short period of time.
Fire officials said in an update that Wednesday marked a major milestone in the response effort, as firefighters worked to extinguish the remaining hotspots inside the approximately 46,000-square-meter cold-storage facility, which reportedly houses tens of millions of pounds of frozen food.
"While our goal is to suppress active fire conditions today, the community should anticipate seeing smoke from the site for several days as crews continue overhaul operations, remove debris, and access remaining hot spots hidden deep within the structure," the update added.
Officials said that smoke conditions have improved dramatically from the early days of the incident and air quality in surrounding areas has continued to improve. However, periods of increased smoke may occur as firefighters open walls, remove collapsed materials, and expose pockets of fire that have been inaccessible throughout the challenging operation.
The fire erupted at a large warehouse in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights neighborhood on June 17. As the blaze continued to burn, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency for Los Angeles County on Saturday, while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a local emergency declaration in response to the incident. The emergency declarations are intended to unlock additional state resources for a complex operation that city officials described as larger than a routine structure fire. ■