Building Site Fires Linked to Negligence

County officials investigating three major fires at Antelope Valley construction sites over the last month said Thursday that hurried, sometimes unsafe work practices caused by the area’s housing boom have increased the risk of such fires.

Investigations of the fires, the most recent of which destroyed 20 unfinished homes in Palmdale, injured four people and caused $1.5 million in damage Wednesday, are not yet complete. Officials acknowledged that the hot, dry, windy climate of the Antelope Valley increases the danger of fire at construction sites.

But they said investigations in all three cases are focusing on accidental causes involving possible worker negligence. Asst. Chief Jim Daleo of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, who is also the county fire marshal, said he plans to step up code enforcement and fire prevention efforts with builders in the Antelope Valley.