BY AARON HUMMEL AND ROB CHRISTENSEN
None of the firefighters on scene were aware that the structure had been vandalized two days before the fire. Vandals had plugged drains, turned on the water, and flooded the home. A restoration company had just removed much of the gypsum board throughout the structure to help the wood to dry out. This absence of gypsum board provided an incredible unabated fuel load for what would become a wind-driven event.
When the E-16 captain noticed the exposed studs in the garage during the incident, he believed this was the condition in just a small area in which gypsum board still had to be installed following the most recent renovation. Working on the Delta side, the E-16 captain said, "There were times when the wind appeared to stop." In hindsight, he determined that it was likely that the surrounding fences, trees, and houses blocked most of the eye-level winds, giving him a false reading on how hard the wind was still blowing.
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