Ogden firefighters ask for construction site security after apartment frame burns down

OGDEN — In response to a fire that destroyed the frame of a multistory apartment complex under construction on Jan. 25, the city's fire marshal, Kevin Brown, is asking developers and contractors to better secure construction sites.

"Moving forward, we'd like to work collaboratively with the builders and developers to prevent these fires so that we don't have this type of loss," Brown said.

Brown is asking that those sites be kept under what he calls a "fire watch." A hired security guard would keep watch overnight, ready to call if something goes wrong.

"Cameras are great for evidence after a fire happens, but they don't always prevent a fire," Brown explained. "We feel like in a lot of these cases that would have prevented, not only the unauthorized access, but, you know, the large scale loss."

The fire on Jan. 25, near the intersection of Lincoln Ave. and 22nd St. is just one of three similar ones that have occurred in recent years.

Another apartment complex frame burned down in 2022 around 34th St. and Washington Blvd. A similar fire in 2021 at 28th St. and Grant Ave. destroyed three surrounding homes, damaging four nearby businesses.

While a 16-year-old was arrested in connection with Saturday's fire, Brown said the other two also involved people who trespassed onto the construction sites.

"It shows that we really need to be more proactive in keeping people out," Brown said. "Currently, we require fencing at all the construction sites and obviously, that's not been enough to prevent unauthorized access."

Brown said so far, at least one construction company has followed his advice and hired a security guard to keep watch.

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