BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The investigation continued on Thursday into the cause of a three-alarm fire that broke out in downtown Bakersfield. On Wednesday night at around 10:30, firefighters responded to a massive fire near the intersection of 21st Street and Chester Avenue.
The fire broke out in a vacant commercial building, and city officials are seeking to implement a vacant building ordinance in order to prevent similar fires from occurring.
Brian Bowman, Bakersfield Fire Department Battalion Chief, says that as of Thursday morning, the structure was still too dangerous to send fire crews and investigators inside. Bowman said that the safety determination would be made by the city.
“We do have to get the structural integrity checked before we can put our guys in there,” said Bowman. “That is kind of hampering the investigation a little bit, but they are here and they’re still working.”
Bakersfield Ward 2 City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales expressed frustration at the situation and the conditions that allowed it.
“This fire is very frustrating to watch and see. It’s scary. It’s a public health issue, really, but it’s not a surprise,” said Gonzales. “We know that there are so many vacant structures in downtown Bakersfield, and frankly in many commercial corridors, that are problematic, that are nuisance properties.”
“I’ve been pushing for the last two years an ordinance to get at vacant commercial properties so that we would require these property owners to register their property, also to add additional enhancements to their property like security and also some sort of fire suppression equipment so that we can prevent these fires from happening,” continued Gonzales.
Gonzales also says that the city has a variety of incentives and programs, such as the Economic Opportunity Area Program, to assist property owners with installing fire protection systems before disaster strikes.
“We have to get a handle on this,” said Gonzales. “We have to be a little more assertive as a city. We have to make sure that we protect those properties and the surrounding neighborhoods. This is just a tragic example of what happens if we wait too long.”
BFD says this fire continues to be under investigation. 23ABC will continue to update the story as more details become available.
