The latest of a handful of construction site fires to occur in the Ogden area in recent years was deemed an act of arson by officials, resulting in the arrest of a juvenile male. And the destruction was wrought despite the site having been locked up.

“The fire code does have some requirements for site security, and it is at the fire marshal’s discretion, but certain benchmarks in the construction have to be hit before we can make those requirements,” Ogden Fire Marshal Kevin Brown told the Standard-Examiner.

Those requirements are based on size, construction type and height. When a building hits four stories, the fire marshal can require that sites be fenced and secured during nonwork hours, as was the case with the 22nd Street site.

Ultimately, though, the 6-foot, chain-link fence and fabric surrounding the site proved insufficient in preventing a fire from being started. In light of that and other recent fires, Brown says his department is working with developers and contractors to increase security at build sites.

“What we want to talk about collaboratively with the builders over the next couple of weeks is, what’s the next step?” Brown said. “Because, obviously, the site fencing alone has not been sufficient to prevent this problem.”

One potential security measure that Brown said could be instituted is having security guards on site during off hours, people who can deter others from trespassing and/or quickly report fires during the incipient stage.

Surveillance cameras have also been used at some construction sites. However, Brown said the cameras in and of themselves are not always helpful in preventing fires from being started.

“A lot of the builders are doing cameras now, and what we found on the other fires are cameras are great for evidence after a fire, potentially, if they don’t get destroyed. But they don’t always do a lot to keep people out,” he said.

In any case, Brown stressed that discussions with developers and contractors will be collaborative and done with the intent of identifying solutions that work for all stakeholders while making sites safer for everyone.

“We don’t want to just use this regulatory power to do something that’s so expensive for them that development doesn’t become possible,” Brown said. “So, we want to meet them halfway and talk through it.”

In June 2021, the wooden frame of what was to be a four-story apartment complex on the 300 block of 28th Street was destroyed by fire. In August 2022, an in-progress, three-story building at 3378 Washington Blvd. was similarly burned to the ground.

Nevertheless, Brown noted that construction site fires aren’t “just an Ogden problem,” with similar incidents having occurred in Salt Lake City, Provo and around the nation recently. As such, he says he’s also working with fire marshals from other municipalities to find ways to mitigate the fire risk at building sites.

“In that critical stage where it’s unprotected, it’s a risk to the community, and we want to prevent that,” Brown said. “The building code assumes that when a building is built, it’s going to be safe for the other buildings around it. But at that stage where it’s just framed and doesn’t have those fire protective measures in place, it does pose a risk.”