California Gov Newsom declares state of emergency as LA warehouse fire continues to burn, spew smoke

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles have declared a state of emergency as a massive warehouse fire in the city's Boyle Heights neighborhood continues to burn – sending smoke and haze into the air.

Officials declared the state of emergency Saturday. The fire inside the 500,000-square-foot frozen-food warehouse started Wednesday. 

The warehouse is built like a giant cooler, with burning foam insulation, solar panels and ammonia lines are complicating the effort to extinguish the face. 

“While the [Los Angeles Fire Department] continues making progress, this is a major, multi-jurisdictional incident,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement, according to The Los Angeles Times. “I’m issuing an emergency declaration to ensure the city has the resources it needs as this operation continues and to keep the community safe.”

The declaration activates the city’s emergency response that directs municipal departments to assess damages and costs, and requests state assistance to support firefighting, cleanup, environmental monitoring and community recovery efforts, The Times also reports.