Cell Tower Fires     Collapses & Falling Debris
Worker Deaths & Accidents
Cell Site Safety Protocol
Sample Letter to Legislators

_______________

TWO QUESTIONS
1) Did a professional engineer (PE) evaluate and certify
any of these projects’ safety before they went live?
2) Who carries liability for damages—the landowner,
the telecom corporation and/or the municipality?

THIS GALLERY SHOWS IMAGES of CELL TOWER FIRES & COLLAPSES
for longer lists, click the links above… or go below the photo gallery

 

___________________________________________________________________________

Cell Tower Fires: The Longer List

4/18/21 Electrical malfunction causes fire with rooftop cellular antennas in Brooklyn
https://ehtrust.org/firecell-tower-brooklyn-new-york/
https://anash.org/fire-extinguished-on-roof-of-crown-heights-apartment-building/

3/9/2021 A light pole holding cellular antennas at Otay Ranch High School caught fire, damaging the stadium in Chula Vista, CA
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/stadium-light-catches-fire-at-south-bay-high-school/

11/25/2020 Cell Tower Fire Causes Structural Damage in Lapeer County, MI
https://www.aglmediagroup.com/cell-tower-fire-causes-structural-damage/

6/26/2020 Cell Tower in Hanover County, Va.
https://www.nbc12.com/2020/06/26/cell-phone-tower-hanover-catches-fire/

5/1/2018 Cell Tower Fire in Philadelphia, PA
https://6abc.com/cell-phone-tower-fire-philadelphia-schuylkill-expressway/3412963/

6/16/2015 Cell phone tower near Virginia Heritage High School catches fire. Now it is leaning over.
http://wtkr.com/2015/06/16/cell-phone-tower-near-heritage-high-school-catches-fire/

5/2/2015 Several paper lanterns caused fire in a cell tower at Lantern Fest in Gaston County, NC
https://www.gastongazette.com/article/20150602/News/306029947

11/4/2014 Cell Tower Fire in Greeneville, TN
https://www.greenevillesun.com/xml/nitf/flames-damage-verizon-wireless-tower/article_1619f00e-5383-530a-a69e-0dbd2acc3c6a.html

9/13/2014 Cell tower fire at Thurston High sends up smoky plume.
https://kval.com/news/local/cell-tower-fire-near-thurston-high-sends-up-smoky-plume

7/15/2014 School Football Field Cell phone tower catches fire in Grandview, Ohio.
https://www.dispatch.com/article/20140715/NEWS/307159836

2/4/2014 Cell tower fire closes U.S. 95 exit ramp in Las Vegas, NV
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/04/cell-tower-fire-closes-us-95-exit-ramp-jones-boule/

8/21/2013 Cell Tower Fire in Sanford, FL
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/cell-phone-tower-catches-fire-seminole-co/271605586/

6/21/2013 Pennsylvania Fire results in Collapse Fears: Collapse Zone created at base and they vacated the buildings.
http://levittownnow.com/2013/06/21/nearby-cell-tower-on-fire-may-collapse/
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0624/Bensalem-tower-fire-Crews-dismantle-cell-tower-that-caught-fire-in-Pa
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/cell-phone-tower-on-fire-in-bucks-county/1984967/

5/16/2013 Cell Tower Fire in Middletown, NJ Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baUNlzbJt5I
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/cell-tower-lean-new-jersey-police-monmouth-county/2079578/

5/16/2013 New Jersey Cell Tower Fire.
https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2013/05/cell_tower_fire_knocks_out_main_middletown_police_communications.html

2/4/2013 Cell phone tower catches fire near U.S. 95 Las Vegas
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/cell-tower-catches-fire-closes-u-s-95-ramps/

8/10/2012 Cell tower at Risk of Falling after Fire Atlanta Georgia.
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/cell-phone-tower-taken-down-following-fire/eRLICZmYOeUNeoCzskHGRJ/

8/10/2012 Cell phone tower to be taken down following fire, Georgia.
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/cell-phone-tower-taken-down-following-fire/eRLICZmYOeUNeoCzskHGRJ/

6/11/2012 Explosion near cell tower likely caused by propane leak, Iowa
https://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/1641878.html

12/1/2011 Cell tower fire closes Rockbridge Road, evacuates day care.
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/archive/cell-tower-fire-closes-rockbridge-road-evacuates-day-care/article_c799bdd9-1162-52a6-8cd7-7784653883ae.html

6/21/2011 Osprey nest, electrical problem sparked Poulsbo cell tower fire Washington State
https://www.kitsapdailynews.com/news/osprey-nest-electrical-problem-sparked-poulsbo-cell-tower-fire/

5/26/2011 Kansas City Cell Tower Fire closes Interstate 435
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiiXBnbBl8o

1/22/2011 Cell Tower Fire in New Jersey
https://patch.com/new-jersey/longbranch/parkway-cell-tower-fire-saturday-set-off-by-routine-maintenance

1/13/2011 Cell Tower Fire at Rancho Cucamonga, CA fire station
https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2011/01/13/cell-tower-reportedly-burning-at-rancho-cucamonga-fire-station/

5/10/2010 Water Tower Fire Wipes Out WiMAX and Cell Phone Service on Madison, Wisconsin’s West Side
https://stopthecap.com/2010/05/20/water-tower-fire-wipes-out-wimax-and-cell-phone-service-on-madison-wisconsins-west-side/

10/1/2007 Sprint, Verizon, AT&T sign $12 million settlement over 2007 Malibu Canyon wild fire
https://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2012/09/13/9969/sprint-verizon-t-sign-12-million-settlement-over-2/

7/4/2007 Cell Tower Fire in Howell, MI
https://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/2007/07/updated_cell_phone_tower_fire.html

4/14/2006 Cell Tower Fire in Prince George County, MD
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041400981.html

8/24/2001 Burning Cell Tower at Risk of Falling in Seminole County, Oregon
https://insidetowers.com/sanford-florida-cell-tower-no-longer-a-risk/

 

___________________________________________________________________________

Cell Tower Collapses & Falling Debris:
The Longer List

4/6/2023 Collapsing tower kills technician, Alabama
https://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2023/alabama-state-agency-is-saddened-by-a-tower-techs-death-but-it-appears-that-they-caused-it/

4/25/2022 Cell tower collapses feet from homes and businesses due to high winds in Las Vegas, NV
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/04/25/cell-phone-tower-collapses-near-nellis-tropicana-crashing-down-feet-businesses-homes/

2/28/2020 Cell tower crashes into a building at St.Johns (Canada).
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cell-phone-tower-st-pats-bowling-lane-1.5480854

10/17/2019 A famous antenna tower has collapsed near Tucson. It was probably 1,000 feet tall. It was a local landmark.
https://kvoa.com/news/local-news/2019/10/18/480-feet-tower-collapses-near-three-points/
https://www.kold.com/2019/10/18/toppled-tower-triggers-trouble/

3/3/2019 A cell tower falls across U.S. Route 280 highway in Lee County, Ala., after a tornado
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/03/us/tornado-alabama-georgia-deaths.html

3/25/15 Tornado damage to legendary KOMA tower array in Moore, OK
http://qrznow.com/tornado-damage-to-legendary-koma-tower-array/

5/1/14 Arkansas Tornadoes Take Down Two Towers in Mayflower and Vilonia, AR
https://www.aglmediagroup.com/restoration-efforts-ensue-after-arkansas-tornado-takes-down-2-towers/

3/26/2014 Tower Collapse in Blaine, KS
https://fox2now.com/news/two-men-who-died-in-kansas-tower-collapse-from-st-charles/

3/14/2014 Tower Collapse in North Adams, MA
https://www.masslive.com/news/2014/03/heavy_wind_and_rain_causes_col.html

2/20/2014 Crescenta CAAT&T Withdraws Cell Tower Application: Debris fall off cell tower onto residence.
https://www.crescentavalleyweekly.com/news/02/20/2014/att-withdraws-cell-tower-application/

2/2/2014 “Firefighter and two contractors dead after two cell phone towers collapse during maintenance in Clarksburg, WV
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550553/Firefighter-two-contractors-dead-two-cell-phone-towers-collapse-maintenance.html
OSHA Investigation: https://www.osha.gov/doc/engineering/pdf/2014_r_06.pdf

2/2/2014 Cell phone towers collapse in West Virginia, killing 3
https://www.foxnews.com/us/cell-phone-towers-collapse-in-west-virginia-killing-3

1/13/2014 Tower Collapse in Chewelah, WA
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jan/13/in-brief-cell-tower-near-ski-resort-collapses-in/

10/1/2013 Tower Collapse in Willow, AK
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/willow-cell-tower-collapses-mat-su-drafts-new-rules/2013/11/15/

7/20/2013 Tower Collpse in San Ramon, CA
https://patch.com/california/sanramon/update-police-suspect-vandals-in-radio-tower-collapse

5/28/2013 Two killed in cell tower collapse in Copiah County, MS.
https://www.wlbt.com/story/22439997/2-killed-in-cell-phone-tower-fall/

3/30/2013 Tower collapse: Heavy wind and rain blamed for downing ‘major communications’ equipment in Berkshires, knocking out police, fire radio service, Massachusetts
https://www.masslive.com/news/2014/03/heavy_wind_and_rain_causes_col.html

3/6/2013 Tower Collapse in St. Louis, MO
https://fox2now.com/news/cell-tower-collapse-could-have-been-prevented/

1/16/2013 Tower Ice Falling Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqy32tzTRkA

10/31/2012 Associated Press – Hurricane Sandy takes out 25% of cell towers in U.S.
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/hurricane-sandy-takes-out-25-percent-of-cell-towers-in-us-286624

2/13/2012 El Paso Texas, Decorative Frond Falls From Palm Tree Cell Phone Tower, slices through man’s car.
https://www.pinterest.at/pin/388224430380184160/

6/20/2011 A cell tower, damaged by fire, has been taken down after it hung precariously over Highway 305. Washington State.
http://archive.kitsapsun.com/news/code-911/highway-305-reopened-following-cell-tower-fire-ep-418436358-357191651.html

4/4/2011 Cell Tower Collapse in Ballard County, KY
https://www.kfvs12.com/story/14380276/afternoon-update-cell-tower-2-homes-collapse-in-ballard-county/

2/18/2011 High winds likely cause in cell tower collapse in Clinton, PA
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/hunterdon-county/express-times/2011/02/high_winds_likely_cause_in_cel.html

1/12/2011 Giant Icicles Fall From Sky, Smash Cars
https://www.theblaze.com/news/2011/01/12/giant-icicles-fall-from-sky-smash-cars

12/18/2009 Cell Tower Collapse in Ruidoso, NM
http://wirelessestimator.com/content/articles/?pagename=Cell_Tower_News_12.09

12/15/2009 One dead following New York tower collapse
http://wirelessestimator.com/content/articles/?pagename=Cell_Tower_News_12.09

12/14/2009 Worker Dies in Cell Tower Collapse in Tulsa, OK
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjmk7209O7tAhU7GFkFHZBkCxoQFjADegQIBRAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdownloads.regulations.gov%2FOSHA-2014-0018-0002%2Fcontent.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1kmCWXvB9oOHUX3TQfGEOv

12/12/2009 Tower ice buildup seen as culprit for collapse in Dawson County, TX.
http://wirelessestimator.com/content/articles/?pagename=Cell_Tower_News_12.09

12/9/2009 High winds collapse tower in Oklahoma
http://wirelessestimator.com/content/articles/?pagename=Cell_Tower_News_12.09

1/24/2009 Cell Tower Collapse in Wellesley, MA
https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20090124/News/301249964

5/29/2008 Cell Tower Collapse in Browns Summit, NC
https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/cell-phone-tower-falls-over-in-guilford-county/83-402796410

5/7/2008 Internet tower falls on tanker truck in Shawnee, OK
https://www.news-star.com/article/20080507/NEWS/305079925

3/18/2008 Cell Tower Collapse in La Merida, CA
https://www.ocregister.com/2008/03/18/kfi-tower-topples/

10/2007 Overburdened with weighty telecom gear, the pole collapsed. 14 houses burned in Malibu Canyon, CA
http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_7ace05ac-c1eb-11e2-8303-0019bb2963f4.html

11/14/2003 Oswego, New York Cellular Tower Crushes Chief’s Vehicle
https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10530195/oswego-new-york-cellular-tower-crushes-chiefs-vehicle

10/12/1996 Tower Collapse in Cedar Hill, TX Kills Three
https://www.osha.gov/doc/engineering/1997_r_05.html

List of catastrophic collapses of broadcast masts and towers from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_catastrophic_collapses_of_broadcast_masts_and_towers

This video does not have a date, but I think it is important to include
Tower ice falling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqy32tzTRkA

 

___________________________________________________________________________

Telecom Worker Deaths & Accidents:
The Longer List

List of Incident Investigations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
https://www.osha.gov/communication-towers/incident-investigations

4/6/2023 Collapsing tower kills technician, Alabama
https://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2023/alabama-state-agency-is-saddened-by-a-tower-techs-death-but-it-appears-that-they-caused-it/

4/11/2014 Worker rescued after hanging from Charlotte cell phone tower, Charlotte, NC.
https://www.wbtv.com/story/25218063/man-trapped-at-top-of-cell-tower-in-east-charlotte/

4/1/2014 A Deadly Surge in Tower Climber Accidents
https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/cell-tower-accidents

8/30/2013 Tulsa Fire Department Rescues Worker From Top Of Cell Phone Tower
https://www.newson6.com/story/5e363a9c2f69d76f62057bfe/tulsa-fire-department-rescues-worker-from-top-of-cell-phone-tower

1/23/2013 Gaithersburg Maryland: Trapped Worker is rescued after freezing.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/crews-work-to-rescue-man-from-cell-phone-tower/1950256/

12/24/2012 Spokane fire department rescues dangling cell tower worker, Spokane Washington.
https://komonews.com/news/local/spokane-fire-department-rescues-dangling-cell-tower-worker-11-20-2015

6/27/2012 Cell Tower Climber Falls 153 Feet, Dies on Impact, Minnesota
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/man-who-died-after-falling-cell-tower-identified-1

12/23/2011 Worker hurt in 80-ft. fall from cell tower in Marcy New York.
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2011/12/worker_hurt_in_80-ft_fall_from.html

8/5/2011 Texas: Six Hour Rescue for Tower Worker
https://www.statter911.com/2011/08/05/more-than-six-hour-rescue-to-get-man-from-760-foot-level-of-tower-firefighters-in-burleson-texas-tell-their-story/

8/4/2011 Burleson fire dept. rescues man from cell tower, Texas
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/burleson-fire-dept-rescues-man-from-cell-tower/287-337687816

11/21/2008 Worker who fell 65 feet from cell tower dies: Arizona
https://tucson.com/news/local/crime/worker-who-fell-feet-from-cell-tower-dies/article_c0932089-a4e0-5c14-9ce4-bb2cd8be86c1.html

5/28/2008 Fatal bandwidth: 6 cell tower deaths in 5 weeks: Indiana, Nebraska, Georgia.
https://fortune.com/2008/05/28/fatal-bandwidth-6-cell-tower-deaths-in-5-weeks/
https://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2008/05/30/april-may-2008-deadly-for-antenna-tower-workers

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Other Concerning Situations:
The Longer List

6/28/2014 Teen Talked Down From Cell Tower
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Suburban-Teen-Rescued-From-Cell-Tower-265033731.html

 

___________________________________________________________________________

CELL SITE SAFETY PROTOCOL

by Katie Singer

Around 1750 B.C., Babylon’s King Hammurabi wrote a code to protect people from new technologies’ hazards, and to hold builders liable for any harms caused by their projects.

Hammurabi’s principles still stand. Before any condo building, bridge, water treatment facility, electrical system, highway or cell site goes live, the corporation that builds it has a duty to ensure that the technology will not imperil life, health or property. Within their discipline, independent, state-licensed professional engineers (PEs) evaluate and mitigate hazards of new technologies or building projects. With his or her seal, a professional engineer assumes full responsibility for a project’s design. If a building’ collapses because of its design, the PE is liable. If a builder doesn’t follow correct design, the builder holds liability.

All cellular sites are electrical equipment. The National Fire Protection Association recognizes five hazards associated with using electricity: electrical contact, thermal effects, overcurrent, fault current and overvoltage. During a cell site’s design, to ensure that the new project will not imperil life, health or property, a state-licensed professional electrical engineer must evaluate each hazard and certify that it has been mitigated. A state-licensed professional structural engineer must certify the structural integrity of each pole that holds telecom equipment. To honor their professional obligations, city councilors and county commissioners should not issue a building permit until they have PE-certified documents that prove that each proposed cellular site is safe.

Before permitting installation of any new cell sites in NAME YOUR CITY OR COUNTY, to protect health, life and property from cellular sites’ potential fire hazards, collapses and other hazards, we therefore require comprehensive documentation prepared under the responsible charge of and certified by an independent, state-licensed professional engineer demonstrating that hazards at each cell site have been evaluated and mitigated.

To address their liability, every property owner (a municipality, corporation or homeowner whose property holds the cell site) has a duty to require that telecom corporations provide sealed engineering documents demonstrating that the hazards have been mitigated. Sealed engineering documents prove that the property owner has not been negligent.

To view cell towers that have collapsed and/or caught fire, visit www.OurWeb.tech/fires-and-collapses.

Addendum: In the past, people concerned about telecommunications’ harms have focused on proving that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by devices and infrastructure harms living creatures. Despite thousands of studies demonstrating such harm (www.saferemr.com; www.bioinitiative.org), these efforts have largely failed. They’ve failed because telecom proponents are merchants of doubt. Repeatedly, the corporations promote the idea that research is inconclusive or unavailable. (See Mark Hertsgaard and Mark Dowie’s 2018 article in the Nation, “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones are Safe.” https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-big-wireless-made-us-think-that-cell-phones-are-safe-a-special-investigation/

The Cell Site Protocol shifts the paradigm: it requires telecom corporations to prove that their proposed installation meets the safety standards of the National Fire Protection Association before it goes live. It requires city officials to require a professional engineer’s sealed documents that prove that the proposed equipment is safe…before they issue a permit to install the equipment. Most states have statutes that require these protocols.

Every concerned citizen should assume (as engineers do) that electricity—and the electronic devices and infrastructure that depend on electricity)—are not safe until they’re proven safe.

To begin raising questions of safety about proposed telecom equipment, ask whether or not your city authorities are properly trained to evaluate documents proving that electrical hazards of telecom infrastructure have been evaluated and mitigated. Ask for documentation that verifies such training.

___________________________________________________________________________

Sample Letter to Legislators

 
Facts & Dangers of Rooftop Transmitters on High-rise Buildings

After learning about a new franchise agreement between my city and a telecom corporation (for 5G cell sites on public rights-of-way), I sent the following letter.

For more info, visit www.OurWeb.tech. Please note that smart meters are also electrical equipment. To decrease their fire hazards, public utility commissions should also require professional engineers to evaluate and mitigate their fire hazards before they go live.

–Katie Singer

Dear Mayor and City Councilors:

I understand that the City is considering awarding NTS Communications, LLC, DBA Vexus Fiber a franchise to place telecom facilities on public-rights-of-way (PROWs) throughout the City.

Telecom facilities are electrical equipment. They pose fire hazards.

If the City issues Vexus Fiber a contract, will it require that state-licensed subject matter experts (professional engineers/PEs) evaluate each PROW for fire and collapse hazards AND certify that all hazards have been mitigated BEFORE new equipment is installed or goes live?

If not, why not?

In the event that a PROW with telecom gear does catch fire or collapse, will the contract clarify who will be liable: the City, Vexus Fiber, or the property owner?

If not, why not?

To view photos of cell sites that have caught fire or collapsed, please visit: www.OurWeb.tech/fires-and-collapses.

FYI, in April, 2021, Malibu, California enacted an ordinance that requires a professional engineer’s report that all hazards on new telecom installations have been mitigated before any permit is granted. Any municipality that prioritizes safety can enact an ordinance like this one, a protocol that reinforces the assumption that no electrical equipment—including cellular antennas, smart meters, Wi-Fi systems, solar arrays—is safe until it is proven safe. No permit is granted until a state-credentialed subject matter expert who holds a license and liability provides a sealed report showing that all hazards have been evaluated and mitigated. https://www.malibucity.org/1040/Wireless-Communication-Facilities