Anaheim to Issue Report on Response to July 3 Fire

Anaheim officials are expected to release a report today detailing how city firefighters responded to a predawn blaze that gutted 40 apartments on La Palma Avenue and caused the evacuation of 256 tenants last week.

City officials, fearful of possible litigation, did not want to release the report Tuesday. But they agreed to disclose the findings after they have been reviewed by the city attorney.

Meanwhile, the apparent cause of the fire--fireworks--was a big issue Tuesday with the City Council. After a two-hour debate, officials postponed a decision on whether the council or voters should make a decision on whether to ban the sale of fireworks.

Anaheim permits the sale of so-called “safe and sane” fireworks.

“It was confusing and disappointing,” said Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood, a longtime proponent of putting the fireworks issue to the voters. Kaywood spoke several times against postponing any decision on the issue, saying she feared that it was “a stalling tactic.”

Tenants said last Thursday’s fire at the Casa de Valencia Apartments started after several youths had been shooting off fireworks near the complex early in the morning. The 3 a.m. blaze burned 94 apartments, destroyed 40 units and caused an estimated $2.2 million in damage. About 150 units of the complex have been vacated because the fire damage disrupted water, electric and telephone service.

In addition to finding bottle rockets and Roman candles at the scene, firefighters also discovered legal fireworks that had been tampered with.

While firefighters continue efforts to find out a who caused the fire, they completed a short report reviewing firefighters’ response, officials said Tuesday. A more detailed report, however, is expected to be released today, said Anaheim public information officer Sheri Erlewine.

City officials were reluctant at first to release the official report on the fire because they were concerned about potential litigation. Anaheim, like several other Orange County cities, is self-insured and would have to pay off potential claims from its own resources.

Some residents have questioned how long it took firefighters to respond. When firefighters arrived on the scene, there was a problem with low water pressure for a few minutes, officials said.

While last week’s fire was blamed on illegal fireworks, Anaheim Fire Chief Darrell Hartshorn said that other Anaheim fires have been caused by so-called “safe and sane” fireworks, which are sold by nonprofit organizations between July 1 and 4 each year.

Two city fires last year, for example, were attributed to legal fireworks while none was attributed to illegal fireworks. In 1984, six fires were blamed on legal fireworks and 11 were blamed on the illegal variety, Hartshorn said.

The numbers are a sharp reduction from the early 1980s, when Anaheim’s firefighters began tackling the potential perils of July 4 fireworks more aggressively. In 1980, for example, there were 51 fires attributed to illegal fireworks and none to legal fireworks.

In 1981, there were 39 fires attributed to legal fireworks, 41 to illegal fireworks and nine others whose cause could not be determined, Hartshorn said.

During the City Council’s debate Tuesday, officials went back and forth on how to deal with the fireworks issue.

If the issue were to be placed on the November ballot, they debated whether it should be done through the initiative process. They also discussed whether the matter should be dealt with through an advisory, non-binding vote of the council.

Another option was to postpone a decision--which proved to be the council’s final action. The proposed ban of “safe and sane” fireworks will resurface next Tuesday, and officials said residents are invited to give their views.

About 35 people attended Tuesday’s meeting, with most asking the city to preserve the present law. They said a ban on fireworks would deprive many nonprofit organizations of a way to raise revenue.

“This way, people come to us. They want fireworks. We don’t twist their arms,” said Harry Baum, adding that his B’nai B’rith organization in Anaheim found fireworks to be its best fund-raising activity.

However, a few speakers disagreed. Resident Edith Hasse, for example, suggested that community groups sell cookies and hold car washes if they want to raise money.

Hartshorn sat silently during the council meeting Tuesday, but his position was clear.

“I’d like to ban them all from the face of the earth,” Hartshorn said after the meeting.