Fire fighters work at a cold-storage facility where a fire has erupted in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California of the United States, on June 17, 2026. A shelter-in-place order was issued in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles on Wednesday as firefighters battled a massive fire that broke out at a commercial building. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A shelter-in-place order was issued in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles on Wednesday as firefighters battled a massive fire that broke out at a commercial building.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert to nearby residents that the order was issued for the area "due to hazardous material from a structure fire."

"Go indoors. Shut and lock doors and windows. Prepare to self-sustain until further notice and/or contacted by emergency personnel for additional direction," the alert said.

Firefighters responded to the incident at approximately 2:35 p.m. local time (2135 GMT) and initially launched an offensive operation from the roof of the single-story commercial building, which covers an area of approximately 46,000 square meters.

Officials said later that "all units were called off the roof and out of the interior."

An ammonia leak inside the building prompted the shelter-in-place order, local KABC television station reported. A huge plume of black smoke rose above the city skyline and was visible from several kilometers away.