2 House Fires Linked to Faulty Furnaces

Two recent house fires in Southern California were caused by faulty attic furnaces manufactured by now-bankrupt Consolidated Industries, firefighters say. The blazes raise the concern that many of the 140,000 Californians who own Consolidated furnaces are still unaware of the danger they pose. The furnaces were sold under at least 30 brand names in the state from 1984 to 1992. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about the furnaces last fall, on the same day The Times published the results of a months-long investigation into the faulty appliances. The attic furnaces fail because of an alteration Consolidated made to comply with regional air quality regulations. Fire investigators believe the units have caused at least 100 fires in California in the last decade. The most recent fire occurred Sunday in the attic of a vacant two-story condominium in Torrance and caused $50,000 in damage, said Michael Freige of the Torrance Fire Department. A second fire caused by a Consolidated attic furnace did $25,000 in damage to a Rancho Palos Verdes home Nov. 11, he said.