Fire strikes Galaxy Towers in Long Beach again

tear that eyesore down already

Should that resident they interviewed be jumping into an elevator when there is a fire in the building? I was taught to take the stairs. Dont all of the signs say "in case of fire take stairs".

This article is very distubing on so many different levels. 1st and foremost that another fire has transpired in the same building within almost a year after the last fire, and secondly the ignorant residents who live there, along with the laxed city creates for the perfect storm, which has already happened twice now, and more to come? I love how one of the residents who seems a bit nervous since this is the 2nd fire, gets the idea that the landlord and the city will be more asservtive in addressing the issue. Well, let's see here - one person has already fallen victim to the 1st fire, and the building still doesn't have to be outfitted with sprinklers for years, and now a 2nd fire. How many fires must occur in the residential unit to get immediate strict action? How many people must die from them? A resident in the article comments that fire sprinklers are detrimental because they will do more damage to his precious remodling than good. I guess his items are more important to him than the safety of his life? Yes, education, and preparing will reduce the risk but let's face it - a fire can and still occur. Back up is needed, and this backup are fire sprinklers. The main reasons why they aren't up already is because they are too costly for the residents (so they say) but nothing about costly is mentioned when the residents aesthetically remodel their condos? I guess sprinklers are more costly than a person's life dying - which might not have happened if the sprinklers were in place. You be the judge?

David wrote:

This article is very distubing on so many different levels. 1st and foremost that another fire has transpired in the same building within almost a year after the last fire, and secondly the ignorant residents who live there, along with the laxed city creates for the perfect storm, which has already happened twice now, and more to come? I love how one of the residents who seems a bit nervous since this is the 2nd fire, gets the idea that the landlord and the city will be more asservtive in addressing the issue. Well, let's see here - one person has already fallen victim to the 1st fire, and the building still doesn't have to be outfitted with sprinklers for years, and now a 2nd fire. How many fires must occur in the residential unit to get immediate strict action? How many people must die from them? A resident in the article comments that fire sprinklers are detrimental because they will do more damage to his precious remodling than good. I guess his items are more important to him than the safety of his life? Yes, education, and preparing will reduce the risk but let's face it - a fire can and still occur. Back up is needed, and this backup are fire sprinklers. The main reasons why they aren't up already is because they are too costly for the residents (so they say) but nothing about costly is mentioned when the residents aesthetically remodel their condos? I guess sprinklers are more costly than a person's life dying - which might not have happened if the sprinklers were in place. You be the judge?

David, don't be a busybody. It's not like we don't have enough people on the planet.
Stop trying to outwit social darwinism. Let nature do what she does best without constantly trying to thwart her.
She's just warming up, for the love of pete!
It's a natural thing, David. There are fabulous sunsets, and there are people who light a match to see if their gas tank is empty. Both are wonderful acts of nature. Leave it alone!

Hmm, so what I'm getting at by your comment is that your in the category of people who love natural disasters and AIDS and Cancer and Hunger epidemics and think of them as "poplulation control?"

David wrote:

This article is very distubing on so many different levels. 1st and foremost that another fire has transpired in the same building within almost a year after the last fire, and secondly the ignorant residents who live there, along with the laxed city creates for the perfect storm, which has already happened twice now, and more to come? I love how one of the residents who seems a bit nervous since this is the 2nd fire, gets the idea that the landlord and the city will be more asservtive in addressing the issue. Well, let's see here - one person has already fallen victim to the 1st fire, and the building still doesn't have to be outfitted with sprinklers for years, and now a 2nd fire. How many fires must occur in the residential unit to get immediate strict action? How many people must die from them? A resident in the article comments that fire sprinklers are detrimental because they will do more damage to his precious remodling than good. I guess his items are more important to him than the safety of his life? Yes, education, and preparing will reduce the risk but let's face it - a fire can and still occur. Back up is needed, and this backup are fire sprinklers. The main reasons why they aren't up already is because they are too costly for the residents (so they say) but nothing about costly is mentioned when the residents aesthetically remodel their condos? I guess sprinklers are more costly than a person's life dying - which might not have happened if the sprinklers were in place. You be the judge?

Just think of this: For every person remodeling their unit there are nine others that haven't done it. And you know why? Because they cannot afford it.
If sprinklers were ever mandated, many of the residents would have to move, since they are on fixed income and could in no way afford the expense. This expense would have to include relocating to another place while the work is being done and the asbestos removal is taking place. It would take close to a year to complete the work. All this could only happens after the city had installed new water lines to the building, to provide for the volume and pressure necessary to make the system usable.
There are many other reasons to add, but this is all the time I have for now.

pedro goldstein wrote:

tear that eyesore down already

Yahh Pedro! If you can't join them, destroy them...
Shure sounds like very limited brain power!

Spouse of a firefighter wrote:

Should that resident they interviewed be jumping into an elevator when there is a fire in the building? I was taught to take the stairs. Dont all of the signs say "in case of fire take stairs".

Have you ever thought that the elevators were under the control of the LBFD and that they consider it safe to allow people to use them if they wanted to exit the building?

Only a matter of time before another fire breaks out and kills more people in these high rises..

No matter how vigilant the firefighters are, you put them at risk as well as the tenants/homeowners living in these places.

Special assess the galaxy homeowners for fire retrofitting and be done with it.

It's part of being a homeowner ..to protect its value ....

David wrote:

Hmm, so what I'm getting at by your comment is that your in the category of people who love natural disasters and AIDS and Cancer and Hunger epidemics and think of them as "poplulation control?"

That's right, David. To me, there is no difference between the Drudge Report, and the Discovery Channel.
For you to call for a sprinkler system in a high rise is the same as if you tried to interfere with a lion taking down a wilderbeest. Just because it makes you feel better, doesn't mean you're doing the right thing.
Social Darwinism is a part of nature. Let nature dance.

what happened to the wife of the guy who died last time around? as I recall she had filed for divorce a couple of years before, lived hundreds of miles away, but then claimed she really, really loved her husband ... just in time to file her wrongful-death lawsuit.

Lets Face It , If you live in the tower then
you must make enough $$ to afford at least one
Five Pound ABC ot Triplex Dry Chemical 2A-
10bc rated fire extinguisher , so buy it . If
you dont a like smoke detector in the kitchen
(due to false alarms )
then perhaps a heat or other rate of rise
temperature alarm to supplement the condo
units smoke alarm. This fire should have been
extinguished by occupant! And got junk
near the stove and counter top that not made
of metal ?- toss it today to safer storage
area or the alley.

gee the tower was built to code at the time. making a building spend millions and millions of dollars to put in fire sprinklers is terrible. it is called fire extinguishers and smoke detectors. if you are too stupid to leave stuff on the stove, not know how to use a fire exstinguser, and not have smoke detectors, just plain stupid. I hope the fire department fines the person who cause this fire. I hope everyone who had damage from the fire sues the owner for damages.

Its a fire and it will be dealt with, why all the negative emails. It was a mistake and it will be handled like anything in life.

Move on people and let nature take it course.

lbpd wrote:

gee the tower was built to code at the time. making a building spend millions and millions of dollars to put in fire sprinklers is terrible. it is called fire extinguishers and smoke detectors. if you are too stupid to leave stuff on the stove, not know how to use a fire exstinguser, and not have smoke detectors, just plain stupid. I hope the fire department fines the person who cause this fire. I hope everyone who had damage from the fire sues the owner for damages.

The dirty little secret that noone knows is that this was an electrical fire and so was the fire last year on the 18th floor. This building has old, outdated 1965 aluminum wiring which expanded and the entire building is a fire trap waiting to happen to more unsuspecting residents.

The HOA that operates this "building" is broke. Galaxy has spent more money on legal fees on ousting conflicted Presidents (he was a realtor and had first access to forced sales of residents) and other tawdry little Peyton Place issues that the sprinklers were not placed a priority.
Working in the construction industry the HOA could well have planned for a refit on the sprinkler/fire alarm system with the residents' consent as this expense would have to be added to the dues. While there are many plans/programs that would allow the HOA to try for financial assistance, obviously this is not a major issue for them - until the worst happens - after the fact.
As for the LBFD - the elevators are left in an "on" position until the FD is dispatched and arrives to lock the elevators from use during a fire. Until then, its operate at your own risk.

I have to wonder at the common sense the residents have in not wanting to protect themselved and their property though.