Sprinklers not required, alarm status unknown in building

The Iconic Village apartment building that was fully engulfed by Friday’s early morning fire did not have a sprinkler system, nor was it required to because of its age, officials said Monday.

At a press conference on Monday morning, San Marcos Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said the building was constructed in 1970, and at the time, sprinkler systems were not a requirement.

“There are no sprinklers in the building,” he said. “... There’s been no major remodeling that we are aware of.”

If the building had undergone major work, the addition of sprinklers would have been required.

Kistner also said officials did not know when the building was last inspected or whether smoke detectors in the building were working.

“We do not know what the operational status of those were,” he said. 

Investigators are speaking with residents, some of whom have said they did not hear any smoke detectors or other alarms go off to alert them to the fire. Kistner said the investigators are interviewing occupants and trying to corroborate information. 

San Marcos officials are receiving support from several agencies, including the state fire marshal’s office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms National Response Team and the Texas Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team from College Station. 

San Marcos Fire Department Chief Les Stephens said that more than 50 ATF agents are assisting and that the property management company has been very cooperative and forthcoming with information. 

Kistner said that cranes, heavy equipment, tents and other assets that are now on the scene of the blaze have been brought in by agencies assisting with the investigation.

“We will at least be on the ground through Friday,” he said, adding that the entire investigation could take weeks or even months. 

Kistner noted that the complexity and size of the scene will prolong the investigation, adding, “Every piece of evidence in that building (Building 500 at Iconic Village, which suffered severe and extensive damage — will be touched by investigators’ hands.”

The working conditions —- with triple-digit temperatures and high humidity — are also slowing investigators’ progress. 

Kelly said that as of Monday morning, investigators had not yet found where the fire started or what the cause was. 

City emergency operations chief Rachel Ingle said that officials were working to make sure that nearby buildings that did not receive structural damage are livable. 

The fire broke out just before 4:30 a.m. Friday at Iconic Village and affected buildings in that complex and at neighboring Vintage Pads. According to county tax records, both complexes are owned by San Marcos Green Investors LLC. Vintage Pads was constructed in 1963, county records show.

City communications director Kristy Stark said that there will be another press conference late in the week or over the weekend, and until then updates would be available through press releases, at the city website and on the city’s social media.