Fire Prevention: Getting to the Roof of the Matter

When investigators did an aerial inspection after last week’s Lemon Heights fire, they recognized a familiar pattern: The wind-whipped blaze Oct. 21 had charred homes with wood-shake roofs but spared most of those with tile.

“The roofing is really a key factor in the homes that were lost,” said Ronald Novello, the county’s building and safety director, after surveying the scene. “It’s something we see at many fires.”

Despite the clear danger of wooden roofs, local fire regulations ban the flammable coverings only for new residences and in some cases for reroofing jobs.

Requiring homeowners to retrofit their roofs with more fire-resistant materials might seem logical from a safety standpoint, but officials said such rules would be difficult to enforce and politically impossible to pass. Replacing a roof on a typical house costs $7,000 to $12,000, a sum many homeowners simply cannot afford.

“We encourage them to change, but we can’t force them,” said Bob Storchheim, manager of Irvine’s building and safety department. “We have to be careful not to infringe on people’s property rights.”

Roofing conversion is an even more complicated matter in the county’s many planned communities, where homeowner associations exert tight controls over the style and color of buildings.

Some residents seeking to replace their shake roofs have been thwarted by association boards that reject the proposals for aesthetic reasons, officials said.

In recent years, however, officials in Irvine and other cities have begun working with community associations to streamline the process and make roofing conversion simpler.

“If the associations were a little more flexible and understanding, we would have more [roofs] changed,” said Storchheim, who has helped several residents persuade association leaders to approve roof replacements.

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Wooden shakes and shingles are most common in developments built in the 1960s and 1970s, when woodsy Cape Cod, chalet, Tudor and country styles were in vogue. More contemporary Mediterranean and Spanish Colonial-style developments typically have terra cotta tile roofs, which are fire-resistant.

Few homeowners can justify the expense of replacing an intact shake roof simply to prevent fires. But as the developments grow older and the roofs must be replaced, residents are opting for aluminum, steel, concrete or clay coverings that resemble wood.

In Woodbridge, Irvine’s largest village, the association now displays a variety of approved roofing materials outside its headquarters.

“We’ve tried to address it with a variety of products,” said William C. Mavity, a longtime Woodbridge resident and former association president. Mavity and his neighbors began replacing the wooden roofs in their French chalet-style development two years ago, after they discovered leaks and other problems. They selected a concrete-asbestos material, which was eventually approved by the association’s architectural review board.

Mavity said everyone seems satisfied with the results. “It changed the look slightly,” he said. “It gives the roof a little more texture.”

Fire officials hope the Lemon Heights blaze, which destroyed 10 houses and damaged 23 others, will remind homeowners of the importance of safety and prevention measures. But they know the lesson will last only so long.

“Whenever the fire season hits, everyone opens their eyes and gets a full dose,” said Thomas Wilson, chairman of the Orange County Fire Authority, who was on hand to observe firefighting efforts in Lemon Heights. “This is the time of year people take notice. Other times of the year, it goes to the back burner again.”

* The Roofing Contractors Assn. of Southern California urges homeowners to use caution when selecting a company to perform roof work. Information about roofing firms is available by calling the association at (818) 579-1276 or the Contractors State License Board at (800) 321-2752.