The agency that oversees California building contractors says it's investigating the firm that built a Berkeley apartment complex that was the scene of a fatal balcony collapse earlier this month.
Pleasanton-based Segue Construction has become a central focus of the investigation into the collapse, which killed six people and seriously injured seven others early the morning of June 16. Berkeley building inspection officials found that parts of the wooden framing designed to support the fifth-floor balcony showed signs of extensive dry rot.
Contractors State License Board spokesman Rick Lopes said in an email Friday that the agency is joining with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and Berkeley building officials to determine whether the Library Gardens apartment complex, completed in 2007, was built to state code.
Lopes said the investigation will include a forensic analysis of the wood used to build the balcony to see "if it was appropriate for the job." The contractors board can take disciplinary action against contractors up to revocation of licenses.
Despite many media reports that Segue has paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits alleging construction defects in Bay Area residential projects, the company's entry on the contractors board site shows no complaints or civil actions against the company.