Alvarado Street Fire

The Alvarado Street Fire in Monterey, CA destroyed a 100-year-old building on Wednesday February 7, 2007. The fire was reported just after 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday when smoke was seen pouring from the basement of the Quiznos restaurant. During one of the busiest tourist weeks of the year for the city, 21 businesses were displaced as a result of the fire.

History and hazards

The building dates back to 1906 when it was designed by architect William Henry Weeks. The building was originally named the T.A. Works Opera House and Theater Building. The building was previously identified as a serious fire risk because of its century old construction. The architecture left plenty of space for fire and heat to creep through walls, crawl spaces, and into the attic and basement. Alarms and sprinklers were not required in the creation of buildings built before fire safety ordinances were adopted.

Spread of the blaze

After the fire was reported just after 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday, 31 units and 100 firefighters from 19 departments as far away as Spreckels fought the fire. The fire continued to blaze into early Thursday, leaving an eerie red HaZe over downtown Monterey. For storefront and business owners, the fire came at the worst time. The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which attracts thousands of visitors to the Peninsula and downtown Monterey each year, started Thursday.

Affected businesses

Many businesses on the 400 block of Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey were affected by the fire. Ground floor businesses that suffered in the building at 467 Alvarado Street include Quiznos, Starbucks, This or Die, Goomba's, Kaiya, and Futons & Such. Other known occupants of the two-story building include: Adams Marketing, Monterey History and Art, Advanced Consulting Inc., Crop Circle Studios, attorney Carolyn Harris, Joel Knight Tax & Business Service, Endeavor International Trade Support Inc., Ebans & Johnson, Dubright Medical Device, Keehan & Partners, and acupuncturist Rick Valentine.

The Aftermath and Demolition

In addition to the occupants of the 100-year-old building, 17 adjacent businesses that remained unharmed by smoke or fire were temporarily closed primarily due to safety issues and electrical problems. Sales at shops near the blocked part of Alvarado, one of the city's busiest business districts, have dropped significantly as a result of the fire. A walkway was established to aid pedestrian use of Alvarado Street without being threatened by the damaged building.

Several surprises, including the discovery of asbestos in the building's second floor, delayed the demolition in which city officials originally thought would begin the week following the fire. Finally, 57 days after the building went up in flames, the building began demolition. The complete demolition is scheduled to be completed within a month, and at least one lane of the 400 block of Alvarado Street will reopen also within a month, depending on how quickly construction workers can bring down the building's second floor.

Asbestos

Consultants hired by property land owner Saucito Lando Co. discovered high levels of asbestos in the roofing material of the building the week following the fire. Asbestos must be disturbed and become airborne to pose a risk to people; the small, buoyant fibers are easily inhaled or swallowed, causing a number of serious diseases.

Possible causes of the fire

According to the fire investigators, the Alvarado Street Fire started when a light bulb ignited cups, paper towels, and sandwich bags in the basement underneath Quiznos Subs. The blaze traveled through walls in the 100-year-old T.A. Work Building, bypassing the first floor and setting the attic and the second floor on fire. Several light fixtures were found in the basement of the destroyed building, and one of the light fixtures was hanging with the end of a light bulb still in the socket. The light switch connected to the fixture was turned on and the circuit breaker box also indicated that a light had been on.

Regardless of whether the light bulb started the blaze because of negligence of the employees or by change, the discovery of the fire's source could signal the beginning of years of litigation between the insurance companies of the property owner, the building's former tenants, and the owners of Quiznos Subs and their insurance company.

Bibliography

"Downtown Fire's Scars Run Deep" - by Clarissa Aljentera, The Monterey County Herald, February 9, 2007

"Displaced Businesses Carry On" - Clarissa Aljentera and Alla Katsnelson, The Monterey County Herald, February 25, 2007

"Alvarado Demolition Edges Closer" - Dania Akkad, The Monterey County Herald, March 31, 2007

"Demolition Starts on Alvarado" - by Dania Akkad, The Monterey County Herald, April 6, 2007