Cleaning up at fire site

No clues yet in Sept. 8 campus fire that caused $1.5m in damage

By Maurice Ndole

Police say they have no suspects, or clues to the exact cause of the fire that destroyed a classroom and the learning resource center at the Fresno State’s Lab school early morning of Sept. 8, which caused more than $1.5 million in loss.

Belfor USA, an international remodeling company based in Los Angeles, has been contracted to reconstruct the damaged building. The company brought in a truck with a high powered dryer to keep the area moisture free for the clearing crew.

An approximately two-foot diameter yellow tube was attached to a truck parked in the lab school parking lot. The tube pumped dry air into the building and sucked in moisture from the rooms used by fire fighters to put out the fire.

The university is making efforts to prevent possibilities of contamination.

“ The affected building has now been sealed and asbestos abatement efforts are underway inside the building,” said Tom Uribes, university spokesman.

Workers from the construction company were seen yesterday wearing masks while working on top of the building.

Asbestos contamination can lead to Asbestosis, a form of lung cancer developed after an accumulation of asbestos fibers in the lungs.

The disease is characterized by shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue and a vague feeling of sickness. The condition can result in death by respiratory or cardiac failure.

The company has embarked on asbestos and lead abatement processes at the lab school using “Hepa” filters.

The filters sieve away the exhaust air from the damaged rooms and the surrounding area to prevent the possibility of lead or asbestos contamination.

A notice at the lab school, signed by David Moll, university director of public safety, and Lisa Kao, the Environmental Quality Manager at Fresno State, stated that the air and surface samples taken from lab school offices and classrooms are well below the federal and state maximum exposure for volatile organic compounds, asbestos and lead.

Numerous efforts by The Collegian to get a comment from the lead investigator at Fresno State police department on the progress of the investigation have been unsuccessful.

State fire marshal investigator Joe Konefal could not comment on the investigation.

The fire destroyed room 128 and the learning resource center at the lab school affecting more than 1,500 students.