Fire Codes for California

Factual Questions
1

There is no such thing as a fire code. There hasn’t been for decades. We have Safety of Life Codes. The idea is to let the building burn but make sure the people can get out.

(There was a famous “fireproof” hotel that burned in Atlanta almost a century ago. Everyone inside dies, but the building was just fine. It is still in use.)

Anyway, what has been done, what can be done with building and design to prevent the loss of so many buildings and lives from the next set of wildfires? Can we require clear areas around housing developments? Require (or maybe prohibit) single-family houses typical of suburban sprawl? Wrap roads in loops to slow or prevent the spread of fires? Require escape rooms with air tanks?

2

Well, one trouble is that advice conflicts, particularly with the diminishing of authority and also the rise of the Internet.
With regard to those hideous fires, yesterday I looked at this Washington Post page and I was struck by a photograph of a damaged pool entitled Fire burns from an open gas valve near the pool area at the Journey’s End trailer park in Santa Rosa. (Ben Margot/AP).
America has problems with pipe explosions at the best of times ( and no, the size of the country is no reason ); but surely, I thought people and utilities shut down services when infernos advance ?
It’s slightly complicated. FEMA has some good advice in this Google digitized book ‘Are You Ready ?’ — 212 Wildfires p. 126, including immersing non-soluble valuables in a filled pool, which is pretty clever, and they say Shut off gas at the meter and turn off propane tanks.

And this advice is followed in other governmental publications.

[ and Popular Mechanics says leave the electricity on for lights and the water. ]
But even if done, that is only half the equation: my own instincts would be for all the utility companies to run nothing but water, feeding flames with domestic gas along the pipes is un-ideal. And so many of them did:

Approximately 50,000 customers remained without power Tuesday in Sonoma County, unchanged from Monday. Most are in Santa Rosa.

Meanwhile about 40,000 customers were without gas in Sonoma and Napa counties. In both cases, the reason for the outages was a combination of precautionary measures by PG&E and fire damage to power lines, Contreras said.

Press Democrat

However, Sempre Energy Utility in SoCal expressly states gas should be left on:

If you have been instructed to leave your house or building during a fire emergency, we recommend that you do NOT turn off your gas or electricity unless you smell or hear a natural gas leak.

As does FortisBC

Do not shut off your natural gas if you receive an evacuation order. If fire or emergency officials request FortisBC to do so, we will turn off natural gas service as a precautionary measure, or if there is an immediate threat to FortisBC infrastructure.
So between state ( and other’s ) advice and one’s local Utility’s instructions it is understandable people are confused; supposing they consult either.

Water, electricity and cellphones are vital; but living without domestic gas for a few days seems minor compared to the horrors around.

3

My understanding is that the fires likely started Sunday night during unusually high winds that came from the north (not unheard of, but not usual, and the north winds are always very dry). Anyway, the thinking is the high winds blew trees and/or branches down over power lines, which caused sparks, which ignited already dry brush in the hills above the cities and towns currently being affected. With the 40-50 MPH winds whipping the flames along thru the dry hills, they quickly entered the outskirts of Santa Rosa (like, within 2-3 hours), burned a winery, some homes, a hotel, restaurant, and mobile home park, before jumping a freeway. Then it burned a commercial area including a Kmart, McDonalds, and other businesses (that are surrounded by large, paved parking lots), and then entered the residential area of the apocalyptic scenes you are probably thinking of.

This one (Tubbs fire) is unusual as suburban neighborhoods on the interior of a city (Santa Rosa) do not usually get taken-out by wildfires (ones on the outskirts of town or bordering natural areas may be more prone). The point being, this was a wildfire, with unusual weather conditions, so I am not sure what sort of building codes or land development strategy can mitigate something like this.

My thought is the only thing that may have prevented this firestorm is if all power lines are buried underground, especially in wild areas in the hills. But, that is a very expensive mitigation option, so I am not sure that would ever get done. I don’t think anyone has invented a practical, mass-produced, fire-proof home design yet, either.

4

They do take measures. I was given a notice by the fire department that my house in Malibu would be condemned if I did not remove the dry brush from around the property (don’t remember if it was 3, 7, or 10 days). That was in the early 1970s, maybe 1972.

5

Here is a link to a 736-page PDF document literally called the 2016 California Fire Code that might answer some of your questions.

6

I think each CA county might be different, but general principles are followed.
For example: no firewood stored next to house, overhanging trees and branches trimmed away from house. In fire prone areas, a 100ft bare ground ground area around the house is advised. Many counties do spring checkups, then issue cleanup notices. (I got one for grasses) Tons of weedwacker crews go out during this time.
Quite a bit of code involving vents nowadays as well, as they are one of the primary causes of fires getting inside homes, from a wildfire.

7

Well, of course, the gas company tells you NOT to turn the gas off – they want to keep charging you for the gas. Including the gas burned up in the wildfire – it’s after going through your meter, so you owe for it.

8

The main threat is not fines, the big threat is if you have not complied and created a “defensible space” CDF/CalFire will not bother trying to protect the structure, especially if they have several adjacent structures that have cleared appropriately and not enough people to protect them all effectively.