Builders Told to Follow Safety Rules in Wake of 3 Fires

As a result of three recent fires at Antelope Valley construction sites, Los Angeles County fire officials have warned builders and contractors that safety regulations at construction sites will be strictly enforced and violators will be cited.

The crackdown, announced this week by Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, was spurred by the three fires in less than a month and applies to construction sites countywide, Fire Department spokesman Don Kanallakan said.

Kanallakan said housing developments under construction in the Antelope Valley will receive special attention because of widespread construction there, a desert climate that increases fire danger and a systematic failure to comply with safety rules.

“The system up here has been overloaded because of the demand and the speed of completion,” Kanallakan said, referring to a construction boom that fire officials, arson investigators and even construction workers have blamed for creating slipshod, hazardous conditions at work sites.

Fines Possible

Firefighters will begin inspections Friday, focusing on the hazardous use of soldering devices by plumbing crews, which is the suspected cause of all three fires. If violations of the Fire Code are found, those responsible will face citations and possible fines.

Fire officials also plan to distribute a videotape that the department has made detailing safety practices to be followed by construction workers, Kanallakan said.

The three fires caused almost $3 million in damage to houses under construction. The most recent blaze at the West Palm development in Palmdale last week destroyed 20 unfinished houses and is still under investigation, Fire Department investigator David Westfield said.

Inspections at the 95 tracts under construction in the Antelope Valley will concentrate on plumbing-related soldering and welding, which fire officials say is the most dangerous phase of construction because it involves using flaming torches.

In a memo this week, Freeman reiterated Fire Code requirements that fire extinguishers be present when soldering tools are used, that combustible materials near open flame be shielded and that workers monitor areas for 30 minutes after soldering.

Builders in the area have begun to review the work practices of their subcontractors as a result of the fires and have increased attention to safety issues, said Rick Norris of the Antelope Valley Building Industry Assn. Representatives of the association have met with Fire Department officials and are distributing copies of Freeman’s memo to their members.