Architect Sentenced to Year in Jail For Firefighter's Death

There have been plenty of civil cases against architects over the years, for all manner of negligence. But, today, an extremely rare criminal case was decided: An architect was sentenced to a year in LA county jail after pleading no contest to the manslaughter of a firefighter who died while trying to contain a fire in a home the architect had designed for himself.

The case dates back to 2011, when a fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills home of a German architect named Gerhard Becker, who designed the building himself. The fire began in one of four fireplaces that had been manufactured for outdoor use but hidden within the houses itself; this means they were in clear violation of local building codes.

The flames then melted a water pipe, which leaked thousands of gallons of water into a ceiling above the heads of the firefighters battling the fire. When the ceiling collapsed, it crushed 61-year-old Glenn Allen, who died the next day of his injuries.

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rktman said:

Unfortunate for everyone involved. I don't necessarily believe in stoning the architect because he made the mistake.

If you do any job long enough, you are going to screw something up.

Anyone who has dealt with building codes can tell you how frustrating it is to follow every detail. I understand how someone could "gloss over" and unintentionally ignore a important code item.

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Capt Worley PE said:

rktman said:

Unfortunate for everyone involved. I don't necessarily believe in stoning the architect because he made the mistake.

If you do any job long enough, you are going to screw something up.

Anyone who has dealt with building codes can tell you how frustrating it is to follow every detail. I understand how someone could "gloss over" and unintentionally ignore a important code item.

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Read it again. He knowingly violated code because he didn't want the hassle.

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Becker allegedly had the fireplaces installed after the mansion had cleared its inspection, writing, "I want this to be installed after the final inspection so we don't have any final delays by the inspector."

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