LBCC faculty and students are still dealing with the fallout of the T building fire, which was caused by a torch used for adhering roofing material that fell into a wall according to school administrators, one month after the T building fire on Oct. 11.
While the official investigation report has yet to be released, director of business support services Bob Rapoza shared that after the torch fell into the wall, the torch was likely caught in some electrical wires, advancing the flames.
Professors with offices in the T building no longer have access to their offices to work and conduct office hours and have been offered the option to take up an office in the M building, or work in the Online Learning and Education Technology department meeting rooms in the LAC library.
According to Rapoza, the school brought in a fire damage restoration company to clean the rooms affected by the fire, and ensure that the air quality is safe enough for classes to resume.
The first step in the process has been completed, but the air quality in those rooms has yet to return to pre-fire levels.
Onlookers watch as firefighters put out what was at first believed to be a small electrical fire at LBCC’s LAC campus. Later, administrators confirmed the fire started due to a torch used for adhering roofing material that fell into a wall. The fire occurred on Oct. 11. in the afternoon at the T Building. (Izzy Juarez)
After the fire, Rapoza explained that LBCC requested all workers on the crew be replaced, and had a safety officer and overseer added to the crew to ensure workers are complying with safety standards and taking extra precautions to make sure an accident like the one that caused the fire happens again.
“It was an accident that happened when doing roof work, it could have happened with anyone,” Rapoza said.
Since the fire, Rapoza said the company working on roofing has gone above and beyond in implementing safety measures.
Alongside the new safety officer, the crew has safety meetings prior to every shift to make sure the crew is aware of any potential hazards to avoid while working.
“We asked (the construction company) to institute protocol that went above and beyond standard safety guidelines,” said Rapoza.
LBCC administration has also been in regular communication with professors affected by the fire.
“Admin has been trying to accommodate those displaced by the fire, right now I’m working in the OLET offices, and do my office hours via Zoom,” said psychology professor, Edward Chen.
Chen was in his office when the fire started. When he first heard the fire alarm, he thought it was another alarm malfunction, as has been known to happen with the T building fire system from time to time.
When Chen opened the door of his office, however, he was greeted with the smell of smoke permeating the hallways of the faculty offices. He was evacuated soon after.
According to email correspondence between administration and faculty in the week after the fire, it will be about a month before faculty can return to their offices and for classes to return to their original rooms, but there is no hard date set.