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Can The Stepping Stones West Fire Happen Here?
By Ralph Beuc (Copyright © Ralph Beuc, 2009)
This is a question I have asked myself both now, and back when the Castle West Apartments fire happened not too long ago. In both
instances, much property was damaged, and people were left homeless. Lives were lost on both fires as well, with the Stepping Stones
fire faring better, with only one related death. I again wondered specifically if the same set of circumstances could happen at Sierra
Pointe? I went to the Stepping Stones West Condominium Complex to investigate the damage for myself.
According to the news, the building contained 12 units, of which 6 were destroyed. Nine of the units were deemed uninhabitable, and
the owners had to find new shelter. The other units suffered damage, and officials stated that the unstable portions will have to
be torn down. My inspection of the building appeared to me that all but 2 units suffered damage to the interiors, and only one appeared
to left undamaged at all (the unit above it suffering from roof damage.) Though officials claimed part will be torn down, it is my
opinion the entire building will have to be demolished, and rebuilt from the ground up.
The Stepping Stones fire was not intentionally set, but it spread extremely quickly. According to authorities, the start of the fire
was from a mere cigarette. The butt was dropped on the outdoor wooden decks, where it fell through the cracks and smoldered in a pile
of dead leaves and old grocery bags. From there, the fire spread faster than anyone could have imagined. According to one resident,
it went from the deck to engulfing the entire building in less than 10 minutes! Though it took the fire department 5 minutes to respond
to the 911 call, the fire was out of control by their arrival, and it took hours to get under control. The amount of water poured
onto the building was quite evident, as I could still hear water dripping inside 24 hours later! One car near the fire had caught
fire and was destroyed, and 2 more had partially melted from the heat alone.
From surveying the damage and what was burned most, I could see how the fire spread. The buildings, built in 1983, were all wood framed,
and wood sided. Also, there was no fire suppression system. No building could have been at higher risk for fire by the way they were
built. The wood decks were raised off the ground, and it was obvious that leaves and debris easily collected under them. When the
debris caught fire, it spread to the deck very quickly, and the fire went right up the side of the building, catching the wood siding
on fire. From there, the fire continued horizontally both inside and out. Though the condos had 1 hour fire walls between them (a
3 5/8" wood stud frame with a single sheet of 5/8" gypsum board on each side), the attic space above was open. The damage was much
more extensive along the roof line on the lesser damaged units, showing that the fire clearly traveled through the attics, right down
the roof line.
Though this building is a loss, there was
evidence that it could have been much worse. Hot debris from the fire had actually drifted over 100 yards through the air, and caught
the chimney of a nearby building on fire! A garden hose was still on the deck of that unit. According to an occupant, the resident
had seen the chimney catch fire, and doused it with his garden hose, until the fire department was able to get someone over there
to put the rest out. Fortunately, the roof never caught fire, and the damage was minimal.
I had in the past determined that the type of fire that took the Castle West Apartments could not happen here at Sierra Pointe. However,
though it is not as likely, a similar scenario could very well happen here, that happened at Stepping Stones West! Though our buildings
were constructed 9 years earlier then Stepping Stones, the way they are built are very similar. All units have outside entrances,
and are wood frame built, with a wood exterior. Unlike Steeping Stones though, Sierra Pointe has three advantages. For one, our wood
siding was covered over in 1985 with EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finish System), or synthetic stucco. The EIFS has a thick later of
Styrofoam with a fiber mesh and cement coating over it. This provides better initial fire protection with the cement coating, but
the Styrofoam beneath it can ignite very easily, and cause toxic gasses. Secondly, Sierra Pointe has concrete decks on the ground
floor, with EIFS walls surrounding them. This makes debris fires harder, but not impossible. Remember that the upper level decks are
exposed wood! It should be noted that a single cigarette started the Stepping Stones West fire, and cigarette butts are commonly seen
here, littering our lawns. Any one of them, if tossed in the wrong place, could be disastrous. Lastly, Sierra Pointe does not have
attic space in the units that can provide a direct fire path from unit to unit. However, once a roof is on fire, the spread from unit
to unit horizontally is possible, and quite likely.
Given
those “advantages” over Stepping Stones West, it is good to feel safer. However, Stepping Stones West has one distinct advantage that
we do not. Each building there is surrounded by parking lots on all sides, providing protection between buildings. But even then,
floating debris still caught another building on fire! Here at Sierra Pointe, buildings are much closer together, and building to
building spread is much more likely.
So, based on how our homes are built, what can we do to prevent fires? First off, CONTROL
YOUR DISPOSAL OF CIGARETTE BUTTS!! Never, never toss them on the ground outside! If you see someone else doing this, remind them of
the dangers! We can also take the following steps to prevent a large fire here.
1 Make
sure that the wall between your unit and the next is secure. That means no holes in it. A simple nail hole is not a problem, but it
is advised you patch any holes. Also, don't add fuel to your wall. That means if you have wood, cloth or other flammable items
hanging on those walls, move them to another location.
2 Remember that our buildings
are wood framed! Do not have any flammable materials attached to your ceilings. If you have ceiling fans or lights, make sure they
were installed properly and are functioning well. Many house fires start from faulty wiring or lights.
3 Don't overload any of your electrical outlets! Always use surge protectors. Get good ones. The cheap dime-store ones are not good
enough.
4 In the past, we have had the fire extinguishers outside our buildings
stolen. Children (some young, some "older") liked playing with them, and took the extinguishers for a little fun. Please make sure
your kids know they are not play things!
5 Be double safe. Keep an extra fire
extinguisher in your home. Make sure it is a type that can handle both grease and electrical fires, and only use it to put out small
fires (cooking fires are a good example). If you see anyone taking an extinguisher where there is no fire, report them immediately.
They are endangering the safety of all of us.
6 For those who have shared staircases
/ entrances, please keep objects out of there. Not only can they obstruct your exit in an emergency, but they can also serve as fuel
for any fire. If you smoke in that area, please take all butts inside and dispose of them properly. Not only does it create unsightly
outdoor garbage, it is a potential fire hazzard in itself. Remember, a cigarette butt takes over a year to bio-degrade.
7 Dial 911 immediately. A blaze can get out of control very, very quickly. The few possessions you may save are not worth your life,
so get yourself, your family and your neighbors out.
8 Remember that the bulk
of fire-related deaths are from smoke inhalation, not the actual fire.
