fire damaged, brick building

[jbarrios60]

Hello, I am the owner of a brick building in Los Angeles,
4980 SF 20' walls built in the late 40's built up roof.
double brick,3.25" X 3.25"X 10" 8.5" thick walls,cement/ mortar filled.
The building next to mine burnt down a couple of nights ago and I am know looking at what I guess is spalling on a few areas that were exposed to intense heat. My concerns now are dealing with insurance on assessing extent of damage and how to properly repair this building.
Any thoughts and suggestions would by greatlt apriciated.
Jbarrios60

 

[msquared48]

Engage a structural engineer who is experienced in fire damage assessment of these old structures. He may still need to pull in a testing agency , but that would be his call, depending on his level of expertise.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

http://mmcengineering.tripod.com

 

[jbarrios60]

Thnak you!

 

[dik]

It is possible that the damage was caused by fire suppression water striking the heated brick and causing a thermal shock and/or expansion of steam.

Your building may not conform to current codes from the sound it it and it may be necessary to bring it up to current standards; this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. m^2 is on the mark for calling in another consultant. Insurance company may provide this service for their report, but, based on experience with doing fire damage reports, you may want to approach a consultant yourself as part of your claim.

Dik

 

[SLTA]

*nudges Mike* or HER!

Seriously, get a historic preservation or forensic structural engineer involved. A materials preservation engineer may also help. Good luck.