Many questions remain unanswered

Por David Schwab | SDUN Reporter and Celene Adams | Editor SDUN

After receiving two calls and a letter from two Uptown residents concerned about the July 6 blaze that gutted a three-story, century-old wooden building in the heart of Hillcrest, Noticias de la zona residencial de San Diego decided to try to answer their questions, including: What was the name of the roofing company that started the fire? What are building inspectors doing to prevent such fires, and how many other buildings without sufficient fire-resistant materials, like the one that burned, are there in Uptown? We also wanted to follow up on what’s happening to the 12 or so displaced former residents living in the two-floor apartment above Obelisk, San Diego’s oldest LGBT bookstore, at 1029 University Ave., which was gutted by the fire, and see how nightclub Rich’s and Flicks video bar as well as Torreon Importers at 1035 University Ave., which was also adversely impacted by the blaze, are coping.

We had tried to answer some of these questions in our July 8 story about the blaze—a three-alarm inferno that required more than 110 firefighters to battle, caused an estimated $1 million of damage, and used at least 900 gallons of water to extinguish. However, given that the fire erupted the day before we went to press, our time was limited. Unfortunately, in our attempts to follow up, we didn’t fare much better.

In response to our request to know the name of the roofing company that started the blaze, Maurice Luque, spokesperson for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said that it is not the Fire Department’s policy to release names.

“[Names] are recorded in our fire reports, which are released only through the subpoena process,” Luque said.

According to Luque, the roofers who accidentally started the fire were using a “common practice of using a torch to lay new roofing material down. The torch ignited wood, which set the exterior of the apartment building on fire,” he said in an email.

Luque added that the fire, which took at least three and a half hours to extinguish, was so difficult to control because of the “balloon framing” of the early 1900s structure and because there were no firestops. Balloon framing is an early form of wood construction largely replaced by more modern platform framing, and fire stops are passive fire-protection systems with various components used to seal openings and joints in structures. Luque said that in this type of construction, “fire spreads very rapidly through the walls, ceilings and attic.”

Wondering how many such buildings in Uptown have balloon framing or are similarly non-fire-resistant, Noticias de la zona residencial de San Diego next approached William Barranon, building inspection supervisor for the city’s Division of Building & Safety.

However Barranon could not provide this information.

“The occupancy and construction type of buildings are recorded in our Project Tracking System,” he said. “The city does not categorize buildings based on their fire-resistive materials, status of alarms or wiring. Therefore, we are unable to provide this information.”

Asked what can be done to fire-proof old buildings that aren’t built with flame-resistant materials, Barranon said, “Buildings can be remodeled to increase fire-resistive materials. New buildings, additions and/or remodeling projects are required to be built according to the codes in effect at the time the plans are submitted. However, the California Building code does not trigger [mandate] retrofitting existing buildings,”

Barranon put the onus on property owners to evaluate their buildings’ resistance to fire.

“Owners of the older buildings are encouraged to evaluate fire resistivity of their buildings and, when feasible, to improve performance in case of a fire,” he said.

George Degenhart, whom the San Diego Union-Tribune reported as having owned the nearly 100-year-old building since 1976, was unreachable for comment for this story (although he had been at the scene of the fire on July 6). So we could not ask him what, as an owner of a nearly 100-year-old building for 35 years, precautions he has taken to ensure the building’s fire-resistance.

At least two of the 12 or so residents displaced by the fire told San Diego Uptown News that no alarm sounded before or during the blaze. Evan Knopf, 22, whom we quoted in our July 8 story, said at that time, “…I didn’t realize that it was our building at first because none of the alarms were going off and [I] actually went into the hallway and it was already filled with smoke.” We also quoted resident Francisco Huicochea, 51, who also lived in the building, as saying, “No alarms, nothing went on. I just wonder what would have happened if I had been asleep.” However, another resident subsequently said smoke alarms did sound.

“I was home when the fire happened—I heard several smoke alarms go off,” said Amy Berg, a former resident of the now gutted apartment building said in an email. “I never saw any indication that [the building] was unsafe. You live in an old building, I guess you take certain risks, but I never had any reason to believe this building was riskier than any other old building. Of course, I’m not an architect.”

Bankers Hill resident William A. Koelsch, a transplanted retiree from Boston who wrote to Noticias de la zona residencial de San Diego about his concerns immediately following the fire, fears a similar disaster could affect his neighborhood.

“I was appalled at the report of this 100-year-old wooden apartment and business building burning down,” said Koelsh. “Where were the building inspectors?” Koelsch noted that to his knowledge only one inspector had shown up the day following the fire to red-tag the fire-ravaged building. “How is it that people are allowed to live in a fire trap that, evidently, had no working smoke or fire alarms or fire doors or fire blocks?”
Noticias de la zona residencial de San Diego tried to contact an inspector in the city building department; however, that contact told us standard operating policy is to go through the mayor’s office. When we contacted the mayor’s office, public affairs personnel were on vacation.

Local residents and organizations have extended a helping hand to residents and businesses affected and/or displaced by the blaze.

Immediately after the fire, two Hillcrest residents, Big Mike and Tom Brown, began a fundraising drive to raise money to help the dozen displaced residents. Brown said those tenants, most of whom requested anonymity, are a mixed lot, ranging in age from 19 to 50, with most being student-age.

“They lost pretty much all of their belongings,” Brown said, noting only one victim had renters insurance. “Many of them still don’t have a place to live, and are staying with friends sleeping on couches and bouncing back and forth.”

Brown, who said he can sympathize as he was a fire victim many years ago, teamed up with Big Mike, who’s been involved with philanthropic nonprofits for 25 years, to organize a community fundraiser for the fire victims. Held July 13 at Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Café, at 3172 Fifth Ave., that fundraiser, along with donations accrued through Facebook and by other means, has raised $7,000 to date in a fire victims relief fund.

Two high-profile Hillcrest organizations also helped with the fundraisers. San Diego Pride donated two tickets for each fire victim to attend the weekend-long Pride festival. The Diversionary Theatre also donated two tickets to each of the victims to see a performance to lighten up their spirits, noted Brown.

“I told them we’re not going to leave them hanging,” Brown said, adding he and others are helping victims apply for disaster fund grant assistance,” Brown said, adding that steps have been taken to ensure donations go directly to fire victims.

“We’re filtering it through the Ben Dillingham Community Grant managed by the International Imperial Court System, both 501 c3 nonprofits, so the victims will get 100 percent of the proceeds,” he said.

Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association, the community’s Business Improvement District (BID), noted it’s difficult to preserve old historic buildings while ensuring they are also fire safe.

“It’s a challenge because you really want to protect these historical resources; there’s a real value in the neighborhood to having them,” he said. “But just to put them in a box and don’t touch them and don’t fix them up: These buildings might have been better off had there been more attention paid to them.”
Nicholls said he intends to try to connect Serwalt with a government grant program to help him rebuild his shop.

“We lost two really critical retailers. I hope both businesses get back on track. I hope the city and neighborhood folks do all they can to get those businesses open again.”

Serwalt said he was heartbroken at first after the fire, then overwhelmed. He intends to rebuild, but he said it might be more of a revitalization than a reconstruction.

“It’s going to be a long process, due to the floors above my store that were badly damaged,” he e-mailed. “Reconstruction will be slow and painful. But I’m optimistic for the future. I’m looking forward to
moving the store further along the direction I had been trying to take it over the past 18 months that I’ve owned it away from all the areas that are being killed by the Internet (books, music, magazines, etc) and into more jewelry, clothing and gifts.

“There is no good time to lose your business to a fire, but Pride is our biggest week. We were completely stocked up and ready to go when the fire hit. As for the residents that lived upstairs, it’s a blessing the fire happened during the day rather than night. Only a few were home and all were awake. It could have been disastrous otherwise.?”