By John Asbury
The Press Enterprise
HEMET, Calif. — Fire officials are hoping door-to-door inspections can save Hemet’s historic downtown from another fire like the one that destroyed three businesses last week.
Starting Thursday, fire officials began visiting the downtown Hemet businesses on Florida Avenue to conduct inspections and offer tips to make the nearly century-old buildings more fire-safe.
Fire Chief Matt Shobert and Prevention Officer Sonya Bu visited three businesses Thursday afternoon to kick off the campaign.
Hemet Fire Department officials plan to visit the city’s entire downtown historic district. They will conduct an initial inspection to complete a checklist of fire codes and advisories.
“A lot of folks will say these measures will cost too much, but it’s really an investment,” Shobert said. “Otherwise you’ll see the destruction firsthand.”
Last week’s fire started when rain created an electrical short circuit that sparked a blaze in the 89-year-old stretch of buildings. The flames quickly spread through the shared attic space.
In the days before the fire, people in the businesses that were destroyed had talked about electrical shorts and smelling smoke, which if reported might have prevented the destruction, Shobert said.
“Downtown has always been my biggest concern for its propensity to catch fire,” Shobert said. “Once it starts, it’s difficult to stop.”
Many of the buildings have undergone renovations in past decades, including building attics over antiquated roofs and electrical systems that were not designed to modern building codes. Most buildings also lack costly sprinkler systems.
The new program is not meant to penalize businesses but to prevent fires, Shobert said. He said if some businesses continuously fail to follow recommendations, they will be cited.
As part of the inspections Thursday at the United Way, walkways were found to be clear and fire extinguishers present. However, some storage space had items that were closer to the ceiling than the 2-foot minimum requirement.
A neighboring party-supply store was given a checklist of notifications to clear a maze of aisles and a cluster of large piñatas and balloons hanging from the ceiling.
Shobert and Bu also visited the Hemet Theatre, which sustained smoke and water damage in last week’s fire. They noted that improvements had been made but told the manager more work was needed to clear out storage space.
United Way President Bob Duistermars lauded the efforts and the inspection of his 1922 building that was renovated five years ago.
“With an older downtown, nothing is more important than public safety,” Duistermars said. “Even with a renovated building, a fire at one that isn’t could take out the entire block.”
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