S.F. Fire Department: Construction Firm Removed Sprinkler Systems Contrary to Directive

By Ted Goldberg

The San Francisco Fire Department has issued two safety citations against a construction company that has done work on dozens of development projects around the region.

Build Group, which describes itself as a "leading force in the Bay Area construction industry," removed sprinkler systems at two building sites in San Francisco after being told by the fire department to keep the systems in place, according to a fire official.

The company is facing a $1,000 fine for removing "life safety systems" in the former Renoir Hotel, a building at 45 McAllister St. that is under renovation. The hotel was badly damaged in a three-alarm fire on Aug. 4, and eight workers involved in the work that day were injured. The fire closed nearby Market Street and sent smoke plumes around the city.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they noticed that the sprinkler systems were removed, said San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

Build Group is the general contractor on the hotel's renovation. One of the company's subsidiaries, Pacific Structures, is under investigation by state workplace regulators in connection with the fire. Pacific Structures has been the subject of six investigations by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health over the past five years. It was cited once.

That agency, Cal/OSHA, is also investigating one of the project's subcontractors, Oakland-based Emerald Steel. Days after the fire, a Cal/OSHA spokeswoman said the agency was looking into whether sparks from welding may have led to the hotel blaze. Officials with the agency said they believe crews hired by Emerald Steel were the ones conducting welding work before the fire. Talmadge said the Fire Department's investigation has not been completed and that no official cause of the blaze had been determined.

The fire prompted investigators to check one of Build Group's other projects in the city at a site at 218 Buchanan St. "They also removed the life safety equipment at that building," Talmadge said. The Fire Department has issued a separate $1,000 fine against Build Group for that violation. In both cases, Talmadge emphasized that the company was specifically instructed to leave the sprinkler systems in place.

"The Renoir Hotel fire would not have gotten out of control as much as it did if the life safety systems had been left in place," she said. "In fact, it may have been simply extinguished by the sprinkler system and we might have been called for an extinguished fire."

Build Group executives have yet to comment on the citation. A spokeswoman for the company said renovation work on the hotel restarted the day after the fire.

The firm was founded in 2007. Since then, Build Group has done work on scores of development projects in San Francisco, Emeryville, Martinez and Southern California, among other areas.

The Renoir Hotel fire was the second large construction fire in San Francisco this year. It came five months after a massive blaze destroyed a large apartment project in the Mission Bay neighborhood. That fire prompted the San Francisco Fire Department and the city’s Department of Building Inspection to strengthen construction safety rules and warn crews throughout the city to obey those already on the books. According to the fire department, there have been 12 fires at construction sites this year.