Commentary: Chicano neighborhood faces a week of poisonous…

Vehicle Fire Vernon California in Vernon, California: On June 17 at approximately 2 p.m., a cold-storage facility owned by Lineage Logistics in Vernon erupted in flames, sending black clouds and ammonia gas over the East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights neighborhoods. The fire, reportedly caused by routine testing of solar panels on the roof, burned for three days as the Los Angeles Fire Department worked to extinguish it. Ammonia off-gassing from a warehouse pipe caused burning sensations and led to hospital visits, including over 60 children from Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy who were hospitalized after reporting feeling sick, dizzy, and nauseated from exposure.