Safety

Permitting Got Faster After LA’s Devastating Fires, but Full Recovery Remains Elusive

In the immediate aftermath of last January’s devastating Los Angeles firestorm, state and local leaders vowed to fast-track rebuilding. For California, where housing construction is notoriously slow and expensive, the scale of destruction posed a singular test. One year later, much of the visible wreckage is gone. Burned homes, ruined appliances and contaminated soil have largely been removed. Residents whose houses survived have begun returning, reconstruction permits have b

Construction Worker, Father of Three, Dies After Trench Collapse

A construction worker died last week after becoming trapped and buried in an open trench at a jobsite in Goodyear, according to local authorities. Emergency crews were dispatched to the site near Citrus and Lower Buckeye roads at approximately 1 p.m. on July 28, where they found 44-year-old Ronald Andrew Baquera Jr. buried roughly six feet underground. Fire, police, and utility crews responded to the scene, including personnel from Southwest Gas . Firefighters immediately beg