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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02262002 - SD5 Contra TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS .`�%� Costa FROM: JOHN SWEETEN', County COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR DATE: February 26, 2002 SUBJECT: Investigation of the Natural Gas Explosion at the Park Regency Apartments (3156 Oak Road near the Pleasant Hill Bart Station) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1. CONSIDER report from the County Administrator on the results of the investigation of the Natural gas explosion at the Park Regency Apartments, Concord area (District IV; 2. DIRECT the Director of the Building Inspection Department to explore the possibility of amending the existing Gas Shut-Off Devices Ordinance to include the requirement of excess flow valves at each appliance; 3. DIRECT the Chief and Fire Marshal of the Consolidated Fire District to report back to the Board when their investigation of the incident is completed 4. RECOMMEND to the Park Regency Management firm (Domino Realty)to: a. Include a feature in their preventative management program to inspect units and perform safety checks after subcontractors have left the premises; b. Provide an educational program where tenants are encouraged to calf P.G.&E. and the Fine District when they smell pas; and c. Call P.G.&E. immediately when a gas leak complaint is reported. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE REZOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECO MENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(ft. ACTION flF BOARD ONLR PROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT r ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE ABSENT ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: Carlos Baltodano(9251335-1108) ATTESTED: cc: Building inspection Department Joh n Sweeten,Clerk of the B#d of Su` rvisors County Counsel and County Administrator Community Development Consolidated Fire District ,f Housing Authority Redevelopment Agency 0' 1 BY 110 TY ------------- CB:nr %dordTati Regency3=26-02 Park Regency Park Explosion February 26, 2002 Page 2 FISCAL"°IMPACT None at this time. BACKGROUNDIREASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS At their February 1-.2, 2002 meeting, the Board of Supervisors directed the County Administrator to coordinate the preparation of a report on the explosion that occurred at the Park Regency Apartments. The Board requested the County Administrator to involve the Consolidated Fire district, the Building Inspection Department, the Redevelopment Agency, and the Housing Authority in determining what happened, why it happened, and how such incidents could be prevented in the future. The Board also requested staff to determine whether the installation of low pressure excess flow valves(EXFV's)could have prevented the explosion. The above-mentioned departments and districts have discussed the incident and the aftermath of the February 9th explosion and this report reflects their analysis. What Happened The explosion occurred at the Park Regency Apartments, which contains 829 units in 10 separate buildings. The buildings ars in the unincorporated area of the county and are located a few blocks from the Pleasant Hill Bart Station(District IV). These buildings are all four stories over a parking garage and were built in 1991 (eleven years ago). The explosion occurred in unit#224,which is on the second floor of building#10. The Contra Costa County Fire Department(Con Fire)arrived on the scene at 12:10 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2002. Con Fire has classified the cause of the incident as "natural gas". It was a huge gas release with"no fire'". Fire personnel at the scene noticed that the natural gas line for the stove was flowing gas, since the valve that shuts the gas at the range was partially open. The range and the refrigerator of unit #224 had been relocated to the center of the apartment, apparently to allow workmen of Paul Davis Restoration Company to paint and install a new linoleum floor in the kitchen. Before the Explosion Interviews with Park Regency Management, and maintenance personnel confirm that Paul Davis Restoration Company was conducting repairs in the week of February 3rd in apartment#224 and apartment#124(the unit immediately below),to repairdarnage due to a previous explosion and fire in unit#224. The previous incident on November 27, 2001 involved a can of Easy-Off that was either left"in the oven or on the kitchen stove of apartment #224. This earlier incident had caused damage to the kitchen facilities and water damage to apartment #124. According to the manager of the units, Cynthia Andersen, of Domino Realty Management Company, the workmen left at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, or the afternoon prior to the explosion. At the present;time, the Fire District is officially continuing its investigation of the incident. Certain assumptions can only be made at this time. If the gas range valve remained open or partially open, then the unit can fill up with gas over time. In this incident, it has been determined that the doers and windows were closed. This particular valve at the range, known as a "gas cock valve, can be easily turned to the open position, and when even partially opened can allow an excess flow of gas into the unit. As an example,even if the valve is left 10% open, it would allow 90% of volume of available gas to go through it. According to knowledgeable sources, in order for an explosion to occur, it would need two things: 1')the right mixture of gas and air, and 2)an ignition source. It is assumed that by Park Regency Park Explosion February 26, 2002 Page 3 noon of the following day, Saturday,the right mixture had been accomplished. The ignition source was probably electrical. The two potential sources in the unit that could have provided that .spark were the thermostat or the electrical furnace in the unit. The other potential source is the water heater with its pilot light, but this has been ruled out since all the water heaters are located outside the unit in the balcony and are enclosed with their own ventilation supply. The explosion, therefore, would occur when the concentration of gas is within the explosive range and ignited. The management firm also acknowledges that they received telephone calls at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday that there was a gas smell. The calls came from tenants in unit#324 and #424(immediately above the unit that exploded). A maintenance person was dispatched to these units and tested for gas leaks and could not determine any problems. The management firm conceded that the maintenance person did detect a slight odor of gas, but could not pin point its source. The maintenance person did not go into unit #224. When asked why, the manager indicated that the unit was vacant, and assumed that the workmen would take care of any problems that arose with the unit. Apparently, the management firm has a procedure that when a contractor is performing repairs in a unit they "turn it over" to them until the work is completed. Interviews with personnel at P.G.&E., the Consolidated Fire district, the Building Inspection Department, and the County Administrator's Office indicate that none of these agencies or offices were called about a gas smell prior to the explosion Typically, either P.G.&E; or the Fire District are called about gas smells. P.G.&E. has a 24-hour number for emergencies that includes gas leaks or odors. The Fire District routinely responds to gas calls because they view them as potential hazards. The usual process for the Park Regency Management Company has been to respond to such calls themselves, and only call P.G.&E, when they see a problem. Interviews with the management firm indicated that they will call P.G.&E. promptly when they receive a call indicating potential gas leaks. It should be noted that any tenant can call the Fire District and P.G.&E. and should be encouraged to do so when the incident warrants it. Structural Damage At the scene of the incident a Structural Specialist, Blake D. Rothfuss, P.E. arrived and advised the Fire District that units#224, 324 and 424 has severed wall failures and should be declared unsafe. In addition, the anchoring or bridge wall had been severely damaged affecting the structural stability of adjacent apartments. In all, twelve (12) units were closed, and another four(4)were subject to further review. P.G.&E. arrived at the scene and secured the utilities in the closed apartments, and shut-off the gas to half of building #1 0 totaling 48 units in all. Presently, there are sixteen (16)units deemed not suitable for occupancy by both the engineer hired by the insurance company and the engineering staff in the Building Inspection department. Some of the sixteen units did not suffer any direct damage from the explosion. However, all sixteen units relied on,at least partially on the destroyed or damaged structural elements that resist design gravity and earthquake loads. These units will not be occupied until the structural repairs are completed. This may take several months. It;has ;been estimated that the structural damage to the structure if $750,000, and that the current value of contents lost in the explosion is $250,000. The Buildin t Inspection Department has been on the scene every day since Monday, February 11 and has pasted(red tagged)three(3) units that were considered damaged apartments and unsafe to occupy (units #224, 324, 424); and posted yellow tags (occupancy only for emergency personnel)on thirteen(13) units. Another thirty-two (32) Park Regency Park Explosion February 26,;2002 Page 4 units where the gas was shut off as a,precaution, can be reoccupied as repairs are made to'broken windows and doors. The Building Inspection Department requested the owner to secure the services of an engineer to provide recommendations on the structural repairs of the building,as well as a certification of the shoring and temporary bracing that was being performed on the structure after the incident. In addition, the Building Inspection Department has requested that a covered exit corridor be constructed by the damaged archway to provide an emergency exit system for tenants. Building#10 required two exit systems; the stairs by The damaged archway where the explosion took place was one of the required exit systems. The entrance to this stairway will be taped off and used only for emergency exiting. Tenants have been instructed to use the other exit system. Iniurie /Housing The only reported evidence of injury were to the two occupants in unit#324 (immediately above the unit where the explosion occurred). These two individuals were treated at Jahn Muir Hospital and released. One suffered a concussion and the other person had minor injuries. According to the manager they are back at the Park Regency and they have been relocated to another unit. Initially,the Red Crass provided lodging to,a number of tenants for several days, but more recently the management firm has either housed tenants in hotels (i.e., Holiday Inn) or in some other unit within the complex. The displaced tenants were given a choice of staying at the hotel or Park Regency. According to the Redevelopment Director, the owner has indicated to hirci that the owner has furnished some of the apartments for the tenants at the owner's expense and has declared that it is "not an economic issue". The vacancy rate, prior to the explosion was at 4%, or at least 32 units vacant, allowing the owners/managers to place tenants within other buildings in the complex. The Housing Authority has also reported that 76 to 76 of the units were occupied by Section 8 tenants, but that none of them were affected by the incident. Gas Shut-off Valves The Board also requested that staff determine whether gas shut-off valves would have prevented the incident from occurring. The Board approved an ordinance on Gas Shut-Off Devices on March 21, 2000. The ordinance requires the installation of Excess Flow Gas Shut-Off Devices (non-motionsensitive) or Gas Shut-Off Devices that are activated by motion. These devices are to be installed>on gas services down stream of the meter in new construction and in certain remodeling. The Park Regency Apartments were not subject to the ordinance, since they were built eleven (11) years ago. In this kind of incident, when there is a gas leak, the seismic safety valves (motion sensitive) that are triggered by a-.seismic event greater than 5. 1 on the Richter scale would not have stopped the explosion. The Excess Flow Valve is another matter. It is designed precisely to shut off gas when there is a rupture on the gas line or when there is an excess gas surge. In oder to determine if these valves would have worked in the Parte Regency environment, staff invited Mr. Brian James, Mice-President of Governmental Affairs for Plus-One and Reinhard Hanselka, Director of Life Safety for a plumbing and pipe-fitting organization in Santa Clara County for a site visit to the Park Regency:apartments on February 20, 2002. After the site visit and investigation of both the individual meters and appliances at each of Pare Regency Park Explosion February 26, 2002 Page 5 the damaged units, it was determined that excess flow vales could have possibly avoided the incident, The present Gas Shut-Off Devices ordinance requires the valves to be installedby the meter, outside a unit. It is not clear at this time whether the excess flow valve would have prevented the incident if placed at the meter. A more intensive analysis would need to be made. It is passible that an excess flow valve at the appliance point would have triggered and could have shut the gas off. These valves are designed to shut off gas lines where there is a rupture or if there is a leak. According to the manufacturer of these valves, ;,if placed at the pipeline at the stove, it would have been triggered when it reaches a certain threshold. The flaw of excess gas at the appliance could have reached this threshold, thereby triggering the valve and shutting off the gas This type of appliance varve costs between $30-$40. ADDENDUM SIS. February 26 2002' ACCEPTED the report and recommendations from the County Administrator on the results of the investigation of the natural gas explosion at the Park Regency Apartments,Pleasant Hill Bart Station area; and DIRECTED the County Administrator and the Fire Chief to return to the Board to discuss forming a county emergency response team. - - u - - 14 R: pg OTO-4 Dote door and window damage to s is a photo of Apt.#324 located above Ap t #224 Thi the apartment. _. ....... .. ... c xv „ x x`r# PHOTO-3 Another angle of Apt. #224 showing damage, where the alleged explosion took place Note: refrigerator in the middle of room. F F PHOTO-6 This is a photo of the kitchen area of Apt. #224 gas valve located lower right of photo. .......... ................................. ........... ..... ....... .... ....... MEN E �'¢'. fie:• . s E= j. 1 R III �a PHOTO-5 Taken from Apt.#223 looking into Apt. #224, showing damage to dividing wall between the two apartments. a F °'2s'i��.,�.�'�o-3°:'w•.Y«��f"�':k..,;•.q.. i n':: PHOTO-7 This is a photo showing the missing drywall and gas valve with flex line that would be connected to the gas appliance stove.