IRVINE : Council to Discuss Wood-Shake Roofs

The City Council, in its first meeting since firestorms threatened the the city two weeks ago, tonight is scheduled to discuss city regulations relating to wood-shake roofing materials.

City officials said they would brief the council on existing fire and building codes and solicit ideas for modifying them. No action will be taken, but council members are expected to express their views on how the city handled the fire crisis.

“We are looking at preventive measures,” said Councilwoman Christina L. Shea. “We want to look for ways of avoiding fires in the future. . . . We want to see what the city can do.”

Shake roofs cover homes across Irvine--especially in the sprawling Woodbridge village. They tend to be more common in older developments than in newer ones like Westpark, where roofs are covered with tiles.

Shea suggested that the city work with homeowners associations to develop a fire safety program for the wood roofs. “It’s so combustible,” Shea said of wood covering. “I’d like to find some kind of (safer) materials.”

In many villages, roofing materials are strictly regulated by homeowner association bylaws. Before shake roofs could be replaced, the bylaws would probably have to be changed, Shea said.

The Laguna firestorm largely spared Irvine, despite some touchy hours on Oct. 27 when flames came close to the hilly Turtle Rock development.

Turtle Rock residents were evacuated, and many spent the night at a Red Cross shelter at Woodbridge High School.

By the morning of Oct. 28, the flames had receded, and residents were allowed back into their homes.