As cleanup of the food storage warehouse in Boyle Heights continues, residents are now dealing with swarms of flies.
“Oh, it's been bad,” one homeowner told KNX News’ Karen Adams. “You know, at first I thought it was flowers. Like my plants. I was thinking of removing them. But no, they're, like, flesh flies. They're really huge.”
She said she spoke with Mayor Karen Bass on Thursday about the flies and has contacted the city to get homeowners here fly traps.
“It’s been very frustrating,” she continued. “Just yesterday I was able to stay somewhere. They contacted me at 211, and they got me an Airbnb.”
Adams reported that the warehouse has deodorizers that are not helping with the smell. She added that she also saw workers with the city and county speaking with people here, offering up available resources during the cleanup.
The flies are the latest in a plethora of issues residents living near the warehouse have dealt with since the fire started last month. Residents have expressed concerns about the stench of rotting food from inside the warehouse and rats.
According to Mayor Bass’ office, officials with Lineage have contracted with Orkin to deal with and monitor the pests.
“Orkin is applying Actizyme, an organic-based material mixed with Nibor-D, as both a liquid and foam in and around the building to target flies, gnats and mosquitoes and is working with Lineage to expand fly abatement efforts into the surrounding community,” a statement from Bass’ office read.
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