Theme Park Review Valencia Clubhouse Fire!!!

[SharkTums]

^LOL, they should hire us as rebuilding consultants since I'm pretty sure we book that place more than anyone else!

[Wes]

One that would really make sense...a flat panel TV on the wall instead of a fireplace!

[kidcoaster 2]

Drunk People + Fire = Bad Idea

 

Glad to see you are ok Robb along with everyone else who was in that building.

[XII]

Wow. Hard to believe that the TPR Clubhouse is now gone. I loved the parties you held in there, but I'm glad to see everyone's OK.

[broomy]

I love your commitment robb, never mind the shock of being in a burning building you knew you had to get us some live pics. Glad no one was hurt and cheers for the pics.

[ArizonaGuy]

Glad to hear that you're ok, Robb! That makes me think twice about blaring my music on my Ipod when I work out.

[Kennyweird]

Robb, if there is a lawsuit, whoever is running your apartment complex could be in quite a bit of trouble. Not only did the fire system fail to activate, but if it was indeed a chimney fire, they probably haven't been taking care of the fireplace as well. Cleaning the chimney annually to remove creosote buildup would have easily prevented this.

[moinab]

I'm so thankful you are ok. Very scary to think about you being overcome by smoke, if that woman hadn't warned you.

 

Our chimney smokes like crazy. I insisted that it get checked out, last summer. The chimney guy that the management company sent out said it was fine, but this really makes me distrust him.

[rizash]

Wow that's insane! Glad everyone is safe. For the record, fire sprinklers are heat activated. Some are spring loaded and when a pin gets soft from the heat, they pop open. Others have a plug that softens and is forced out by the pressure of the water in the pipes. They wouldn't activate unless it was a Medium to large fire below them, and they pretty much just slow large fires down. As for the alarm systems, in most areas smoke detectors are NOT linked to fire alarm systems. There are fire codes requiring both, but smoke alarms go off too easily. Ever been in an apartment where someone burned something on the stove or something? I've heard many smoke detectors go off, never seen one set off the fire alarms. remember that when those alarms go off, firefighters will respond, and if it's a false alarm, the buildings owners get a bill (usually several hundred dollars) Alarms are usually ONLY set off by break boxes, and if your building is Updated within the last ten years, you may have infrared fire detectors in the attic (this didn't obviously). I can't believe nobody pulled a break box! Those people could have saved you a huge scare! Remember this guys, if you KNOW you have a fire that your building needs to be evacuated for, that's what break boxes are for.

[milst1]

Robb, remember that being consumed by fire is considered an extreme method of weight loss and is not recommended, not even within the body-image-conscious and fire-prone confines of Southern California. Neither should it be tried at home, nor in one's shared apartment amenity facilities, as in this case. Stay safe please!

[metrock]

Are you sure Robb was not cooking wings tonight?

You know, I was thinking the same thing.

 

Good thing everyone got out okay. That's all that really matters.

[Sir_Neidig]

I'm very glad you got out alright! You got some awesome pictures - thank you for sharing them. I think it's really cool how you turned this into something like one of your reports you do on a ride. I'd probably be in a little bit of shock if I were you. Being in a burning building is nothing to joke about.

 

I would like to say something from experience working on running crew of live shows: Whether or not a fog machine will set off fire alarms really depends on the type of machine and what it's set to. In theatre, they have hazers and they have foggers. It's always the foggers that make us have to run shows with EVERY door around closed (the alarm in the space is turned off during shows with foggers.) There are countless variables to consider, but it seems to me that the alarm would have been turned off at the request of a renter using a hazer/fogger, even if their equipment would not set it off.

 

Well that's my input on it. Again, I am happy that you are not hurt. I was a little perplexed by your "OMG FIRE!!!" tweet. It had me thinking a wooden coaster somewhere had gone up in flames... seems to me that they would burn quite well...

[Coastercameron]

Also, any modern sprinkler system should have a pressure switch in the system. The drop in pressure caused by a sprinkler's activation will cause a drop in pressure in the system, activate the pressure switch, and trigger the fire alarm system in the building. So using my expert skills of deduction, I would have to say that either, 1.) Robb got out before a sprinkler head was activated, 2.) A sprinkler was never activated, 3.) There was a major malfunction and/or power interruption to the fire alarm system.

 

Glad no one was hurt!

[robbalvey]

Heh, some of my comments about the fire made the local news:

http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/24667/

 

--Robb

[darklingscribe]

I'm glad to hear that no one was hurt.

 

I think there might be some truth to the statement that the alarm might have been turned off. I've been to a few parties that had fog machines which have set off the Smoke detectors, so I can verify that it does happen. The idea that someone might have turned off the alarm for the party is not entirely unfounded.

[OldJJman]

Heh, some of my comments about the fire made the local news:

http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/24667/

 

I like your quotes about no alarm, Robb. That ought to get some lawyers out there soon!!

 

 

I also liked the quote at the end:

 

"Workers at the Promenade Apartments were not allowed to comment Sunday about the fire."

 

Ya think?? From what Elissa has said in the past, I'd be surprised they showed up at all.

[gisco]

Wow !

 

Robb, How long were you in there before the woman tapped on the glass?

[rosscoe]

Away for a couple of days and this!

 

Glad to hear that yourself and the family are all ok.

[robbalvey]

Wow !

 

Robb, How long were you in there before the woman tapped on the glass?

 

I was only in the gym about 15 minutes. But in retrospect, when I walked in the building and saw the haziness and smelled the smoke I'm going to bet the fire had already started somewhere up in the chimney.

 

Like I said I just didn't think twice about it because it pretty much always is like that when someone has the fireplace going.

 

Trust me, I was more than a little shocked when I walked out of the building, turned around and saw smoke POURING out of the top of the roof!

 

Being in the gym I was probably about as far away as one could get from where the fire was, but even still, that's only being like 20 feet away!

 

--Robb

[Perilous Chris]

Sorry to hear about all that! I'm glad you guys are safe though!

[Hattuchili]

It looks like the fire really did a lot of damage to the building. I hope they will rebuild the clubhouse, soon. I can´t imagine what could happen if the women wouldn´t have knocked on the gym room glass. Is there a seperate entrance/exit to the gym or do you had to leave through the front doors? I mean it looks like 10 minutes later and your way out could have been blocked, right?

 

--Soren

[robbalvey]

^ I actually went out the emergency exit which leads right outside. Thank goodness that door actually worked! I mean, if the fire alarms were either turned off or not working, when was the last time they tested that exit?

 

In retrospect, I probably wasn't in too much danger considering that the gym looked the least damage. It was more an issue of the smoke. And let's face it, if and when the smoke was getting a lot worse in the gym I'm sure I would have figured shit out pretty quickly and ran out that door!

 

And what kind of freaked me out a little more was reading in that article about the fire that it was a GAS fireplace, which makes me think it's completely possible there *could* have been an explosion! Thankfully nothing that intense ever happened.

 

--Robb "I just really don't like the idea that I was in a gym, doing my thing on the elliptical, and there was a fire going on behind me!!!" Alvey

[Nrthwnd]

The Window-Banging lady deserves an Official TPR Bag 'O Crap!

 

 

Glad you're alright Robb, and glad the fire was as far from you guys as it was.

[Jhcbiinoc]

WOW! Glad to hear you guys are okay and that no one was hurt.

 

If I was on the elliptical at the gym where I live and something like that happened-and especially if there was no alarm-I would be completely freaked out.....I'd definitely voice my concern to the apartment owners.

[robbalvey]

^ Done and Done!