If the Shelter-in-Place Order Impacted Your Business, You May Have a Claim
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If the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire in Boyle Heights significantly disrupted your business during or following June 17, 2026, McCune Law Group wants to hear from you. We are investigating claims on behalf of business owners and operators who lost income, customers, inventory, or access to their location because of the fire, the biohazard smoke, the shelter-in-place order, and the emergency response that followed. The disruption did not end when the order lifted. If your business was or continues to be impacted, your losses may be recoverable.
Request a confidential case review. Call (949) 603-1929 or complete our secure form. No cost. No obligation.
What Happened in Boyle Heights
On June 17, 2026, a fire broke out at Lineage Logistics’ 491,000-square-foot cold storage facility at 1400 S. Los Palos Street in Boyle Heights. The fire compromised an interior ammonia line, releasing hazardous smoke into the surrounding neighborhood. LA Mayor Karen Bass publicly identified the smoke as a biohazard concern. A six-hour shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding community, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency for Los Angeles County.
The formal order lasted six hours. The impact on local businesses did not. Emergency response activity, road closures, and ongoing smoke and air quality concerns continued to suppress business activity in the area. If your business was still feeling the effects days after the order lifted, that matters.
Responsibility for the fire is disputed among multiple parties: Lineage Logistics as the tenant-operator, building owner Chill Build LA I LLC, solar array owner Altus Power/Los Palos Street Operating LLC, and solar contractor Pearce/CBRE. Subcontractors were allegedly conducting rooftop testing when the fire ignited.
This was not Lineage’s first encounter with regulators at this location. Cal/OSHA cited the Boyle Heights facility in 2020 for failing to inform contractors about fire, explosion, and toxic-release hazards, and again in 2021 for deficiencies in the ammonia system. Across its enterprise, Lineage carries a record of more than 77 violations totaling over $5 million in cited penalties.
Every hour your doors were closed or your business impacted, your losses were real. Those losses may be recoverable.
Who We Are Investigating Claims For
If your business operates in or around Boyle Heights and the fire or shelter-in-place order forced you to close, turned away customers, significantly reduced your customers, spoiled your inventory, or disrupted your operations, you may have a claim. We are reviewing cases for:
- Restaurants, taquerias, cafes, and food service businesses with closed dining rooms, spoiled perishables, and lost reservation or catering revenue
- Retail storefronts that lost foot traffic and sales during the closure period
- Personal service businesses including salons, barbershops, gyms, and medical and dental practices with canceled appointments and lost recurring clients
- Professional services businesses locked out of offices or unable to reach clients in the affected area
- Warehouses, distributors, and B2B operators with shipping delays, missed deliveries, and idle staff
- Construction workers and tradespeople whose job sites were inaccessible during the order
- Independent contractors and gig workers who depend on the businesses and households that were shut down
If you were also displaced from your home or have health concerns related to the smoke and ammonia exposure, tell us when you reach out. We collect information on both business and personal claims at the same intake.
What You May Be Able to Recover
Every business’s situation is different. Depending on your facts, recoverable damages may include:
- Lost revenue
- Spoiled inventory, including perishable food and temperature-sensitive product
- Physical damage to your business premises, equipment, or inventory caused by smoke, fumes, or emergency response activity
- Canceled contracts, missed deliveries, and forfeited deposits
- Costs to temporarily relocate, secure your location, or restock after reopening
- Business interruption losses
Start saving your records now. Daily sales or POS reports for June 17 on and the same period last year, payroll records, vendor invoices and delivery logs, lease and utility bills, photos of any damage to your premises or equipment, insurance correspondence, and any written confirmation of canceled orders or contracts will all matter.
Class Action or Individual Representation
We are evaluating both options. For many small business owners with similar losses, a class action is the most practical path to recovery. For businesses with larger or more complex losses, an individual case may produce a better outcome.
We are also looking for business owners with strong documentation who may be good candidates to serve as a class representative. We will walk you through what that role involves before you make any decisions.
Either way, we will give you a straight answer about which path makes sense for your business before you sign anything.
Why McCune Law Group
McCune Law Group attorneys have more than 35 years of experience representing consumers and small business owners against large corporations in Southern California. The firm has recovered more than $1 billion for our clients in prior cases.
When an Amplify Energy pipeline spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil off Huntington Beach in 2021, McCune Law Group played a significant role in a class action that recovered $95 million for Orange County businesses, fishers, and property owners. Business owners in Boyle Heights facing a dispute with a corporate operator and its insurers deserve the same level of representation.
McCune Law Group represents businesses in the Garden Grove GKN Aerospace tank failure where 50,000 residents and more than 3,000 businesses were forced to evacuate due to the risk of a dangerous chemical leak or explosion.
We work on contingency. No retainer fee paid. No hourly fees. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
If the case is settled as a class, the Court awards attorney fees from the recovery or the defendant. If the case is settled individually, you only pay a percentage of what is received and nothing if the case is lost.
Talk to Us Before You Sign Anything
If your business was affected by this fire, you may already be hearing from insurance adjusters, corporate representatives, or other law firms. Their interests are not the same as yours. Get a straight, confidential assessment from a firm with a real track record in class actions and representing businesses on a contingency fee before you make any decisions.
Request a confidential case review by calling (949) 603-1929 or complete our secure form. No cost. No obligation.
The shelter-in-place only lasted six hours. Can I still claim losses from the days after?
Yes. The order lifting did not mean business returned to normal. Emergency response activity, road disruptions, ongoing smoke and air quality concerns, and customer hesitation continued to affect businesses in the area through at least June 24. Losses from that full period are worth documenting and discussing with us.
My business is just outside the shelter-in-place zone. Do I still have a claim?
Possibly. Businesses just outside a hard perimeter often lose nearly as much revenue as those inside. Customers couldn’t reach you, employees couldn’t get in, and deliveries were disrupted. We evaluate based on actual impact, not just where the boundary line fell.
My insurance covers business interruption. Why do I need a lawyer?
Your insurance claim and a legal claim against the responsible parties are two separate things. Most business interruption policies have exclusions, sub-limits, and waiting periods that leave real losses uncovered. A claim against the parties responsible for the fire is independent of whatever your insurance pays out.
What if my losses were partial, not a total closure?
Partial losses count. A forced closure during peak hours, a week of canceled appointments, or spoiled inventory that cost you real money are all worth discussing with us.
How long do I have to file?
Legal deadlines apply to these claims and vary depending on the type of claim and the parties involved. A confidential case review will help you understand your timeline. Don’t wait to find out.
What documents should I start gathering now?
Daily sales or POS reports for June 17–24 and the same period last year, payroll records, vendor invoices and delivery logs, lease and utility bills, photos of any physical damage to your premises or equipment, insurance correspondence, and any written confirmation of canceled orders, bookings, or contracts.
I also live in the neighborhood. Can you help with that claim too?
Yes. Many business owners in Boyle Heights have personal or residential concerns related to the smoke and ammonia exposure, in addition to their business losses. We collect information on both at one intake: you don’t need to go through a separate process for each.
What does it cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency. You owe no attorney’s fees unless we recover money on your behalf.
Attorney Advertising
McCune Law Group, APC is responsible for this advertisement. The information provided on this website is for general information purposes only. The information you obtain is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Use of this website or submission of the online form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Counsel Michele Vercoski is licensed to practice in the state of California and the firm is headquartered in Southern California. The law firm of McCune Law Group has attorneys licensed to practice law in AZ, CA, GA, MO, NY, and PA. McCune Law Group is a national firm that brings lawsuits in a majority of the states. In states where one of its attorneys is not barred, it does so by filing the complaint along with local counsel barred in that state. The results discussed do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the results in future cases.
