tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537355151674491939.post1466020953294223548..comments2024-01-17T20:53:16.287-05:00Comments on My 1923 Foursquare: Tragic Fire at Rosemirlea ApartmentsJChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831757279235998895noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537355151674491939.post-9308154217821898192013-06-30T10:52:26.553-04:002013-06-30T10:52:26.553-04:00As far as I heard, apparently the rumour going aro...As far as I heard, apparently the rumour going around about the girl who caused the previous fire at the neighbouring buildings is true. Apparently she left a burning cigarette (or other drugs, since apparently she's a "crack whore") burning on the front porch rail, which caught fire. I don't think this was an electrical fire.JChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09831757279235998895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537355151674491939.post-51743186755138419022013-06-30T08:52:51.579-04:002013-06-30T08:52:51.579-04:00OTOH "electrical" can have a lot of mean...OTOH "electrical" can have a lot of meanings. All too often it's a faulty or incorrectly used appliance (e.g. portable fan heater) or cheap/damaged extension cords (undersized wire, squeezed under heavy furniture or in doorways).<br /><br />In Switzerland there are mandatory checks of home wiring done by state-licensed agencies, homes have to be inspected every 10 years, offices every 5 and factories yearly I think. If these inspections show code violations (violations of the code which was in effect when the wiring was done, so sometimes that can be an early-1900s code) the owner has to fix them or can be fined. Unfortunately in reality the owner has 10 years to fix them in homes as there are no re-inspections and sometimes violations are never fixed at all.<br /><br />In Austria you can't rent out an apartment without a wiring inspection - in theory. In reality, no one bothers and those landlords who do are bit, because most electricians misinterpret the law (our electrical code has the status of a law) and claim the wiring has to be brought up to current(!) code, which in their eyes usually involves a gut rewire.<br /><br />Bottom line: I don't think you can force home owners to upgrade their wiring, but mandatory inspections with hefty fines and actual enforcement could help. The insurance companies could also apply a LOT of pressure on the owners, probably more so than the government.Ragnarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06087234298605439486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537355151674491939.post-26865654944538357332013-06-30T04:44:56.470-04:002013-06-30T04:44:56.470-04:00Part of the problem with these lovely old apartmen...Part of the problem with these lovely old apartment buildings (I've lived in three in Cleveland, all built between 1910 and 1930 with glorious woodwork, trim work, and hardwood floors) is that the city governments don't take any action to ensure that the electrical is updated to modern standards. Just blithely allow the owner to do whatever. If I had my way I would make an city ordinance (Heck, it ought to be a State law!)that states that an apartment building (NOT single family dwellings) like this cannot be sold unless the electrical is updated to something 2002 NEC or something like that. It's really a matter of public safety! Fires like this happen all the timein Cleveland, and many times it's traceable to an electrical cause.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537355151674491939.post-84628294319738816632013-06-23T23:36:04.828-04:002013-06-23T23:36:04.828-04:00So sad. Glad everyone is OK.So sad. Glad everyone is OK.Archguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14335766004103620678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4537355151674491939.post-91748988234693011052013-06-23T19:21:32.722-04:002013-06-23T19:21:32.722-04:0010k l PER MINUTE? Holy cow, and here I was impress...10k l PER MINUTE? Holy cow, and here I was impressed because they pumped that amount into the attic apartment over the course of 4 hours!<br /><br />Roughly half of that made it down into the place above ours and then ours... my bedroom's still recovering from the flood.Ragnarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06087234298605439486noreply@blogger.com