Court finds discharge from fire debris contributed to the 2021 Dominguez Channel odor incident

LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge imposed more than $10 million in penalties against the operators of a warehouse that caught fire in the City of Carson and discharged pollutants and hazardous substances into the Dominguez Channel Estuary in fall 2021.

The discharge contributed to noxious odors that generated more than 4,000 complaints and affected neighboring communities for several weeks.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board initiated legal action after an investigation into the Sept. 30, 2021, incident found huge piles of alcohol-based products such as hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial wipes in the burned debris outside the building. The improperly stored items discharged large amounts of chemicals into storm drains and ultimately the Dominguez Channel, releasing elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide, a colorless, highly toxic gas, into the air.

After a 17-day trial, the court on Dec. 16 imposed a $10 million dollar penalty against Day to Day Imports Inc., Virgin Scent, Inc., and four corporate officers liable for failing to obtain a required stormwater permit and an additional $575,000 for the pollutant discharge. The owners of the warehouse, Liberty Property Limited Partner and Prologis, Inc., were also found liable but were not required to pay a monetary penalty because they spent $10 million on the site cleanup.

"We are committed to using every tool at our disposal to hold those who harm our waters and quality of life accountable," said David Nahai, chair of the Los Angeles Water Board. "The court's decision recognizes the distress that the odors caused thousands of people and reinforces the need for businesses to operate in a manner that poses no threat to the public or the environment."

Besides complaints about the offensive odor, residents in neighboring Gardena, Wilmington, Torrance, Redondo Beach and Long Beach experienced nausea, dizziness and headaches for weeks after the fire. The South Coast Air Quality Management District determined that hydrogen sulfide reached levels 230 times above the state nuisance standard in the area.

More information about the Los Angeles Water Board is available on its website.

With approximately 10 million residents, Los Angeles is the most densely populated region in the state. It encompasses all the coastal watersheds of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Land use varies considerably. In Ventura County, agriculture and open space exist alongside urban, residential and commercial areas. In northern Los Angeles County, open space is steadily being transformed into residential communities. In the southern part of the county, land uses include urban, residential and industrial.