Fire Engulfs Affordable Housing Construction Site
On Monday, June 2nd, the 911 dispatch office was inundated with calls reporting a fire at affordable housing construction site. The 8-alarm blaze forced nearby residents to evacuate until it was under control.
August 30th, 2024
On Monday, June 2nd, callers inundated the 911 dispatch office with reports of a fire at a construction site in Redwood City, CA. The 8-alarm blaze forced nearby residents to evacuate until it was under control. The fire required the works of 26 fire trucks and over 100 first responders to battle the blaze. Flammable building materials and high winds fueled the fire, which started at one building under construction and quickly spread to the next. Embers traveled miles from the site, as the wind pushed smoke across other cities.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and all construction workers self-evacuated. Due to air quality concerns, authorities conducted tests, cleared the area, and allowed residents to return to their homes. Officials continued a 24-hour watch on the site until they fully extinguished all hot spots. Unfortunately, the affordable housing building will be a total loss. Most likely, since the building was under construction, there were no fire systems or sprinklers in place. The construction of the $155 million housing project was expected to be completed by early 2025. The County Sheriff’s Office believes the fire started on the fifth floor, but investigators have yet to determine the cause.
If you have a building under construction, please contact Risk Logic to perform a builder’s risk site inspection to help avoid a fire like this. RLI reviews construction drawings with a focus on incorporating the most effective property loss prevention and control safeguards. We can assess potential hazards and provide recommendations to help prevent and manage the risk of fires and other property loss exposures. Additionally, we recommend reading our article on fire safety during construction to support your building process.
