Common Attics: Common Danger : Hundreds of Anaheim Complexes at Risk

The type of construction that allowed a fast-moving blaze to sweep across three apartment buildings Tuesday, turning their common attic into an exploding inferno, exists in hundreds of apartment complexes throughout the city, Fire Chief Jeff Bowman said.

“It definitely is a concern,” Bowman said as firefighters across town sorted through remnants of 24 units at La Ramada Apartments, where damage estimates are expected to climb past $1.7 million. “When our firefighters come on to a scene like that, our first thought--other than to get the people out--is to attack the roof.”

That type of “common-attic” construction was outlawed in the early 1980s because of the potential fire hazard, but not before a building boom in Anaheim brought more apartment buildings to keep pace with the city’s rapid growth, officials said.

The attics, typically found in apartment complexes and strip shopping malls, stretch the entire lengths of the structures and are not separated by fire walls, now mandated in city building codes.

Fires in those open attics are hidden by roofs and may go undetected for some time, said interim fire marshal Michael Doty. They continue to build, consuming all available oxygen as they run the length of the roof and then explode.

“It becomes an inferno inside there,” Doty said. “It’s one of the most difficult fires there is to fight because it is protected by the roof. Attic fires are always a nightmare.”

La Ramada manager Eden Tagle said Wednesday that the complex was built between 18 and 20 years ago, before the building code requirements. And Bowman confirmed that the attic covering the damaged units contained no fire walls.

The chief likened Tuesday night’s four-alarm blaze, which apparently started in a rooftop air conditioning unit, to “something baking in an oven,” spreading the heat evenly throughout the attic.

“Nobody smelled the attic burning for some time,” Bowman said. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had traveled about half a block and a short time later exploded through the roof.

The fire sent a tower of thick, black smoke over the Riverside Freeway just at evening rush hour. None of the residents was injured, but five firefighters were hospitalized with heat exhaustion or smoke inhalation and another suffered second-degree burns on his neck. About 60 residents were routed from their homes.

“It’s almost impossible to stop these kinds of fires,” Bowman said.

Ironically, Doty said, La Ramada owners suffered similar fire destruction nearly six years ago when stray fireworks ignited wood shingles at Casa de Valencia Apartments.

That fire also apparently traveled through an open attic, causing $2.5 million in damage and prompting city leaders to issue a ban on fireworks.

Fire officials said Tuesday’s fire, reported at 5:25 p.m., took about an hour to contain but burned well into the night.

At one point, Bowman ordered all firefighters to retreat from the building when some air-conditioning units began falling through the weakened roof. The scene became even more hazardous when apartment bathtubs, overflowing with the water used to fight the fire, began plunging through saturated and fire-damaged flooring.

“You could hear the bathtubs crashing through,” Bowman said.

Early Wednesday morning, families returned to the burned apartment complex on Frontera Street hoping to salvage belongings.

Willie Lara, 26, along with his distraught wife, was one of the first to arrive. Before the fire, he said, they had planned to move out within two weeks.

“We’ve lived here for about six months. We were just going to move out so we have a lot of things already in boxes,” Lara said. “I was supposed to be on my way to New York for vacation.”

Lara said he didn’t notice the fire until it was nearly on top of his roof.

“We have smoke detectors, but they never went off,” Lara said. “I kept coming back throughout the night because I was afraid of looters,” he added.

Residents John and Denice Hammers said they, too, were caught unaware.

“We were sitting in our place and we both smelled smoke,” John Hammers said. “There are some fire extinguishers on the side of the halls but I didn’t hear any smoke alarms.”

One resident, however, reported that he had recently loaded his alarm with fresh batteries and was alerted in time.

Roger Rick, a 24-year-old warehouse supervisor, said he did hear his alarm.

“They run on batteries and I had just put some in last week,” Rick said. “I guess the other people didn’t put batteries in their alarms.”

Even with his alarm sounding, Rick said, there was little time to recover anything before the fire reached him.

“By the time I walked out to see where the fire was I had to run back just to get my wife,” Rick said. “It shocked me that it went up that quick.”

Danger in the Attic Buildings that share an attic may also share a fire. Attic partitions help isolate a fire. Without them, flames can spread and take hours to put out. Partitions Provide Protection 1. A fire beginning over one building can easily travel across a common attic to other buildings. 2. Partitions contain the blaze in one building, preventing it from spreading across the attic and making it easier to fight. Trench Warfare Firefighters rip open “trenches” in the roof to fight attic blazes. They hunt for the front of the fire, then drown it with water. Trenches also let flames rise rather than shoot toward other buildings. Preventing Attic Fires Common attics without partitions should be fitted with them. Existing partitions should be checked for holes. Electricians sometimes cut holes when installing wiring. Sources: Anaheim Fire Department, Earl’s Plumbing Researched by KEVIN JOHNSON and DANNY SULLIVAN / Los Angeles Times