Sign causes fire

[Bigdawg]

Sign Fire... this is just down the road from me.

Both fires, which appear to be electrical and related to wiring running to a sign on the shopping center, are being ruled as accidental, Hoyle said.
“The fires were in the roof area of the shopping center, where they have a facade that creates a covered walk-up,” Hoyle said.
The initial fire at 6:35 p.m. Monday brought seven fire trucks, an ambulance and an EMS supervisor to the location to battle flames coming from the roof and impacting four stores in the shopping center, Hoyle said.

I am so looking to see who pulled these permits...

 

[Tim Aucoin]

Wow! Hopefully whoever did it is insured! Who would be inevitably responsible in this case?

 

[Pat Whatley]

Hope some sign company had a licensed electrician connect the power originally.

 

[Bigdawg]

Wow! Hopefully whoever did it is insured! Who would be inevitably responsible in this case?

It depends on where exactly the fire started... my understanding is that if the fire was in the sign itself after the electrical hook-ups from the owner's electrician - blame would fall onto the sign maker... if it is in the wiring going into the sign that the owner had done - not sign company responsibility.

 

[Marlene]

people wonder why UL listed and why correct permits and such are needed. good example of why.

 

[Cross Signs]

It's possible that the ballast just decided to burst into flames. I've seen that many times. And in this kind of heat...Doesn't help keep them cool.

 

[Gino]

Hey Stacy........

Can you find out if they were box signs or channels letters and direct mount or raceway ?? I didn't see that anywhere.

There are any number of causes that will prove your theory right or wrong.

Were the correct size circuit breakers installed.... were there ample transformers used..... how much florescent tubes were run to each ballast.... and the list goes on. It really depends on what set up was used and possibly too many transformers were piled into a corner above the ceiling and the heat had no where to go and just burst into flames.

I'd bet the second fire was due to smoldering somewhere and just re-ignited.

 

[Marlene]

Can you find out if they were box signs or channels letters and direct mount or raceway ??

good point.

 

[Bigdawg]

I'm going to drive by on my way home from work and see which sign.. there was a combination of box signs and channel letters at that plaza...

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

If it was caused by the sign, 9 and a half times our of 10, these fires are caused from no metal conduit being used.

The original sign installer AND any company that ever came to service this sign we be FULLY responsible.