New Codes Might Hinder Rebuilding

In the wake of the devastating mountain wildfires in October, San Bernardino County officials are considering strict new building codes that could prevent or hinder some residents from rebuilding homes lost in the fires, according to a draft report released Friday.

The recommendations proposed by a 15-member task force are intended to strengthen fire safety standards for some of the San Bernardino County mountain and foothill communities that were hardest hit in the firestorms that destroyed 1,410 homes and businesses in the county.

If adopted, the restrictions would require newly constructed homes to include such fire safety improvements as double-paned windows, nonflammable roofing and fire resistant material for walls and decks.

New taxing districts also might be considered for the mountain community of Cedar Glen and the foothill neighborhood of Del Rosa in the city of San Bernardino, where 241 homes were either destroyed or damaged. Those taxing districts could raise money to upgrade water systems, sewer systems and other infrastructure to improve fire safety.

While the 11-page report indicates that some homes will probably not be rebuilt -- either due to the new requirements or the added costs that insurance payouts won’t cover -- county officials were quick to assure residents that they will try to aid every property owner who wants to rebuild.

“Nothing is designed to delay them,” said Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, whose district includes such hard hit communities as Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake. “Everything is designed to improve safety.”

The wildfires that struck Southern California swept through six counties, consuming nearly 740,000 acres and killing more than 20 people.

The report noted that the greatest number of homes destroyed or damaged in San Bernardino County were in Cedar Glen and Del Rosa.

Of the 1,410 homes that were destroyed or damaged in the county, 571 were in Cedar Glen or Del Rosa.

To protect those neighborhoods against future conflagrations, the task force recommends fire safety requirements beyond those proposed for the entire mountain and foothill regions.

In Cedar Glen, for example, the task force recommends upgrading or replacing the water distribution system, which some officials say was woefully inadequate for firefighting needs.

One of the biggest obstacles firefighters faced in the Cedar Glen area were narrow dirt roads that impeded fire engines from getting near burning homes.

The task force suggested the county pay for road and infrastructure improvements, either through federal emergency grants or by creating a special assessment district that would impose fees on property owners.

In the unincorporated areas of Del Rosa, the task force recommends adopting a “fire threat zone” that will be consistent with fire safety standards already under consideration in the neighboring city of San Bernardino.

The standards proposed by the city of San Bernardino would ban attic vents that face the foothills and require that the openings in high-profile tile roofs be capped to prevent cinders from flying under the tiles.

The proposed law also would require automatic sprinkler systems for new homes in the area.

Still, Assistant County Administrator John Goss, who heads the task force, said he is confident that the new standards will not impede homeowners who want to rebuild.

“The idea is to try to help them and not tell them, ‘Hey, you can’t rebuild,’ ” he said.

The task force’s recommendation will be considered by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16.

Some people who lost their homes to the wildfires said they did not oppose plans to improve safety standards.

Davey Porter, 42, who lost his home in Cedar Glen, agrees that the mountain community needs stricter building codes but said adopting them would come at a huge personal cost.

“The new codes seem to be the way to go,” said Porter, managing editor of the Mountain News in Lake Arrowhead. “But what’s going to happen to the half [of the town] that can’t come back because they can’t afford to build with these new restrictions?”

Among the Cedar Glen neighborhoods that suffered the greatest losses, some homes were built on 1/8-acre lots -- remnants of a time more than 50 years ago when the area was a private camping ground.

Cedar Glen is a haven for many middle-class people who work in the San Bernardino Mountains and who can’t afford the pricey homes surrounding Lake Arrowhead.

The task force recommends that the county buy those lots where the homeowners decline to rebuild and keep them vacant to reduce the fire threat.

Porter said the homeowners who are not able to rebuild might be squeezed by their insurance companies, since some policies pay only to replace the house.

“Obviously, the impact is going to be monumental for those affected,” Porter said.

Some residents in the Del Rosa neighborhood welcomed a tax assessment.

“We’ve had a lot of scares in the 35 years that we’ve lived here,” said Ina Katz, whose home suffered damage from October’s wildfires and mudslides during the early 1980s. “We’d like [the county] to fix a lot of stuff.”

Larger drain pipes are at the top of her wish list. Katz also believes the county should address vegetation regulations and consider grounding electrical and phone lines.

“I would be happy to have an assessment for those kinds of improvements,” Katz said.

Bill Lusk, whose Del Rosa home was also damaged in the fire, agreed. “Obviously, something has to happen,” he said. Lusk wondered, however, if it shouldn’t be a state tax assessment.

“There are so many dangers across the state,” he said.

Lusk also said he favors the county clearing vegetation and banning certain trees. “If it were up to me, there would never be another palm tree in San Bernardino,” he said, referring to the incendiary brush.

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Times staff writer Kristina Sauerwein contributed to this report.