Los Angeles County Sues Warehouse Owner Over Gas Stench

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Los Angeles County announced it is suing tenants and property owners of a warehouse where a fire released illegally stored chemicals into a drainage channel and caused a stench that lasted for weeks.

The hydrogen sulfide gas odor caused a public nuisance affecting thousands of residents in the city of Carson, according to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court.

The suit alleges the tenants and owners of the storage facility were aware of the hazards at the site and failed to take steps to prevent the dangerous conditions that led to the fire.

The court filing names 10 defendants, including warehouse owner, Prologis Inc.

Prologis said in a statement that it rejects all claims that the company failed to address the unsafe storage of materials at the site.

“To the contrary, our company has worked hard to address the situation in accordance with the law,” the statement said. Prologis said it asked its tenant to clean up the hazardous materials and alerted LA County Fire to the improper storage.

Prologis said it’s in the process of trying to evict its tenant.

“We’re here for the long term, and we’re going to work with regulators and local leaders to ensure the safety of the property and the health of its surrounding communities,” the statement said.

The blaze began Sept. 30 at the property in Carson where two companies stored large amounts of wellness and beauty products, and chemicals including ethanol subsequently flowed into Dominguez Channel, officials said.

Complaints of a rotten-egg stench began on Oct. 3 and eventually came from thousands of people in at least a half-dozen communities in the area.