Residential Fire Sprinklers .com

Protecting Your Home & Family

By Matt Brezius – Pottstown Mercury

It has been nearly four weeks since the massive blaze that ripped through the Riverwalk at Millennium apartment complex in Conshohocken, but the catastrophic fire is still making news.

Three lawsuits have been filed in Montgomery County Court as some continue to place blame despite the incident being ruled accidental.

Now, insurance companies are climbing on board as four major providers that insured tenants’ property and/or vehicles have filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for damages they and their clients sustained due to the blaze.

With the recent talk that someone should be held responsible, The Times Herald, which is owned by the Journal Register Company and is a sister paper to The Mercury, took a look back into the process of how Riverwalk developed by sifting through building permits, zoning records and building codes.

A question most often asked by the public is why there were not any sprinkler systems or firewalls in the attics of the apartment buildings, the area where the fire spread so quickly.

The answer: Because the law does not require them. The apartment complex was built under the National Fire Protection Association’s code of 13-Residential, meaning it would be a residential building allowing up to and including four floors.

According to NFPA 13-R, sprinklers shall not be required in attics, penthouse equipment rooms, elevator machine rooms, concealed spaces dedicated exclusively to and containing only dwelling unit ventilation equipment, crawl spaces, floor/ceiling spaces, elevator shafts and other concealed spaces that are not used or intended for living purposes or storage and do not contain fuel-fired equipment.

David Smith, an information specialist with the Department of Labor and Industry, said that in order to build under NFPA 13-R, additional firewalls had to be installed within the buildings, but were not required in any specific area.

“They weren’t forced to put the firewalls in one area instead of another, no. Under the Fire and Panic Act, they did have to put draft stoppers in the attics, but were not required to put firewalls there,” Smith said. “According to the paperwork, it seems like everything was done exactly to code.”

The complex was also given the green light by several inspection companies, including Phiscon Enterprises Inc., which reviews the fire protection sprinkler drawings and plans. According to an inspection report dated May 5, 2004, Phiscon Enterprises Inc. stated the sprinkler system criterion in place was correct based on NFPA 13-R.

Another question that has been circulating is why Riverwalk wasn’t held to federal building standards after receiving a $2 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

John F. Nugent, the executive director of the Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County, said none of that federal money was ever accepted because the original proposal to which the money was granted had been changed.

“This project was originally proposed to be an office building with a parking garage, but O’Neill Properties elected not to move forward with it, so the funds were never formally accepted because they changed the use of the land,” Nugent said. “To my knowledge, no state or federal money was put toward this project.”

The NFPA said the code is designed to save lives, not buildings, and that attic fires generally aren’t life-threatening, which is why sprinklers are not required. Some community members are voicing concerns that this may not have been the best philosophy.

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By MARGARET GIBBONS – Times Herald

Insurance companies now are jumping into the litigation surrounding the catastrophic fire that ripped through the Riverwalk at Millennium apartment complex in Conshohocken on Aug. 13.

Four major insurance companies, which insured tenants’ property and/or vehicles, have filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Court seeking compensation for damages that they and their clients sustained as a result of the conflagration.

The damages sustained by their clients include losses of personal and business property, vehicle damage and expenses for alternative living arrangements, according to the lawsuit.

The four companies, which are represented by the Law Offices of Robert A. Stutman in Fort Washington, already have received a combined 117 in claims, according to the lawsuit. The four insurance companies are: Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co., State Farm, Travco Insurance Co. and USAA Casualty Insurance Co.

This is the third lawsuit filed in Montgomery County Court in connection with the fire that destroyed two occupied Riverwalk apartment buildings and the unoccupied The Stables apartment building that was under construction.

The other two lawsuits seek class action status to represent the tenants of the destroyed apartment buildings.

As in the first two lawsuits, the defendants named in the insurance companies’ lawsuit are: O’Neill Properties Group of King of Prussia, the developer and former owner of the Riverwalk buildings and the developer of the under-construction Stables apartment building; Merion Construction Inc. of Bala Cynwyd and L21 Construction Managers of Leesport, Pa., both of which are listed as construction managers/general contractors for The Stables building; Cavan Construction of Aston, Pa., a subcontractor whose employees are alleged to have accidentally started the fire; and, Bozzuto Corp. of Maryland, who took over management of the Riverwalk complex after O’Neill sold its interest.

The eight-alarm fire, which was ruled accidental, started when smoldering sparks or molten metal generated by an acetylene torch ignited the five-story wooden frame-out of The Stables building. The radiant heat generated by the blaze caused the roofs on the top of the two nearby occupied apartment buildings to catch fire, burning from the top down.

Some 345 people initially were displaced but those in the two unaffected Riverwalk buildings were allowed back Aug. 17. However, the fire that took the efforts of some 300 firefighters to bring under control consumed a combined 180 units in the other two buildings.

The allegations in the insurers’ lawsuit are similar to those raised in the two other lawsuits.

These allegations range from failing to properly supervise workers at the construction site to failing to consider fire protection implications of building a five-story wood-frame construction residential structure to failing to install sprinklers and firewalls in the attic of the Riverwalk buildings.

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By Pamela Constable – Washington Post

A Labrador retriever with a sharp nose helped his owners safely escape their burning home in Potomac early yesterday morning when his frantic barking awakened them minutes before smoke alarms went off.

The quick reaction by Jet, an adult black Lab who normally slept on a pillow in the kitchen near his basket of dog treats, also helped shave minutes off the response time for firefighters, allowing them to isolate the blaze in the garage and save most of the home, according to Montgomery County fire officials.

The owners, which county records identify as Steven and Lisa Kelber, could not be reached to comment yesterday. Part of their spacious red brick house in the 11600 block of Lake Potomac Drive was destroyed by the fire, which officials said caused about $1.2 million in damage. More than 75 firefighters battled the two-alarm blaze, containing it within half an hour.

Pete Piringer, spokesman for the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire began in the garage and was not suspicious. The garage and a second-story room above it were gutted, and three family vehicles were reduced to melted hulks.

“The smoke alarms did activate later, but fortunately the family pet started barking first, giving them an early warning,” Piringer said. “That dog did everything right.”

Piringer said the Kelbers and a visitor got out of the house uninjured and called 911 about 1:30 a.m. The couple have two children in their 20s, but they reportedly were not at home.

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Gold Coast News

A SURFERS Paradise apartment building hit by a fire last week did not have a sprinkler system, stairwell exhaust fans or hydrants on every floor, said firefighters.

The 22-storey International Beach Resort is one of a dozen buildings on the Gold Coast built before 1974 that do not have to comply with more recent fire safety legislation.

The blaze last Thursday night has sparked fears that a death in one of these older buildings could hurt the reputation of the city’s ‘rock solid’ high rises which do comply with legislation.

Guests who were evacuated from the high rise in The Esplanade on Thursday night were yesterday relocated to other accommodation as fire inspectors sought to determine the cause of the blaze and checked for damage.

Fire investigator Marcus Barrett said it appeared the fire, which started on the third floor and spread to levels four and five, was sparked by an electrical fault in the sub-distribution board.

Damage was confined mainly to electrical connections.

United Firefighters Union Gold Coast branch president Mark Gribble said the pre-1970s buildings were a safety hazard and made the job of evacuating and rescuing people ‘immensely difficult’. He estimated there were about 12 such buildings on the Coast.

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News-Leader.com

An early morning fire was quickly extinguished in a downtown loft apartment building today.

The fire, in the 400 block of South Jefferson, began on the stove and quickly spread to the cabinets while the residents were asleep, a news release from the city said. The smoke alarm sounded, alerting the residents, but the sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire. The fire was at the front of the apartment cutting off the residents’ means of escape, according to Fire Marshal John Marion.

“This makes a clear case for residential sprinklers,” Assistant Fire Chief Randy Villines said. “Without a functioning sprinkler system, the two occupants would most likely have perished.”

A recent study by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows that fire sprinklers reduce deaths per one thousand fires by 77 percent. Villines went on to add that having a working smoke alarm is key in preventing fire deaths. A separate study by the NFPA shows that 50 percent fewer people die per one thousand fires in homes with working smoke alarms than those without one.

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The Record

KITCHENER — A fire at a Kitchener apartment building last night was contained thanks to a functioning alarm and sprinkler system.

Platoon chief Ron Taves said when firefighters arrived at the second-floor apartment at 25 Joseph St. at about 8 p.m., the sprinkler was keeping the fire under control.

A flourescent light fixture in the bathroom is believed to be the cause of the spark. The fixture has been sent for testing to determine the problem.

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By Valerie Hurst – KATU

PORTLAND, Ore. – A 57-year-old woman died and two others were injured early Wednesday when a mattress caught fire at a southwest Portland retirement community, authorities said.

The fire ignited in an apartment on the fourth floor of the Bronaugh Apartments at 1434 S.W. Morrison St. shortly after midnight, according to Kim Kosmas, a spokeswoman for Portland Fire & Rescue.

When firefighters arrived, sprinklers in the building were controlling the blaze, and crews were able to quickly extinguish it, Kosmas said.

Two people lived in the apartment; the woman died and another was rescued by another tenant, both of whom were taken to an area hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, Kosmas said.

Fire officials did not release the names of anyone involved.

The building was evacuated due to smoke that had filled the hallways, Kosmas said.

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By Pete Bosak – Centre Daily Times

A fire that broke out in a bathroom fan Tuesday morning forced a temporary evacuation on Building J of Lion’s Crossing apartments at 201 Vairo Blvd.

A sprinkler system put out the fire in the third-floor apartment just before 8 a.m., limiting damage to the bathroom, said Steve Bair, of Alpha Volunteer Fire Company and the fire director for the Centre Region Council of Governments. Bair did not believe the tenants had to be displaced by the fire, due to the sprinkler system quickly putting it out.

One maintenance worker was treated for smoke inhalation after rushing to the apartment when the alarms sounded, Bair said.

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Bothell Reporter

One person sustained injuries during an apartment fire Friday, Aug. 22 at the Vintage Apartments in Silverdale. The facility’s sprinkler system extinguished the blaze and limited smoke and fire damage to the apartment of origin.

Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews responded to the fire at 9:15 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters smelled smoke and discovered the building’s sprinkler system was activated. Firefighters pulled the central fire alarm station to evacuate the residents and upgraded the call to a commercial structure fire at 9:25 p.m. Navy Region Northwest Fire and Emergency Services also responded, putting a total of 23 firefighters on scene.

Crews found the source of the smoke on the fifth floor of the 240-unit apartment complex and forced their way into the room. Firefighters made their way through thick smoke and found a person lying on the floor in the living room. The resident was transported to Harrison Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.

About 135 people evacuated the apartment complex and were outside for nearly two hours while firefighters conducted a systematic search of the facility to check for fire, water and electrical damage. Power was secured to 14 apartments directly impacted by water damage and determined uninhabitable until repairs have been made.

The American Red Cross was on scene to assist the 15 individuals displaced by the incident and all other residents returned to their apartments.

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By Statesman staff – Idaho Statesman

Ten homes were destroyed and nine homes were damaged by a grass fire that started at Amity and Holcomb roads around 7 p.m., Boise Police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said. The homes destroyed are on E. Sweetwater Dr. and E. Immigrant Pass Ct.

Currently the fire is not under control but is beginning to calm, Hightower said. Gusty winds are causing spot fires to continue in the area.

Officials say about 41 fire crews are on the scene. Assistance has come from many fire departments throughout the Treasure Valley including Meridian, North Ada County, BLM, Kuna, Star, Melba, Gem County, Payette County, Nampa and Caldwell.

At least 50 homes were evacuated and officials say they are not letting homeowners back in their homes tonight. Displaced families should go to Trail Wind Elementary at 3701 E. Lake Forest Dr. for assistance. City officials are working with the Red Cross to assist those families evacuated.

Boise schools superintendent Dr. Stan Olson said school will open at Trail Wind Elementary and Les Bois Junior High Tuesday morning.

Seven Boise police officers who were taken to local hospitals to be checked for smoke inhalation appear to be OK and are being evaluated. The officers were conducting evacuations of the fire area when they were overcome by smoke. One Boise firefighter is being treated for a laceration on the hand that appears minor and is being transported by Ada County Paramedics to St. Luke’s for treatment.

“This was the perfect storm. We had high winds, high heat and shake roofs. It was jumping from roof to roof,” Doan said.

“Its a nightmare,” said Chris Taylor, who evacuated her home on Immigrant Pass.

Taylor was at work when her son, a senior at Timberline High School, called at about 7 p.m. and said, “Mom, the side of the ridge is on fire. We left and came back and got the dog because we’re not sure we’ll have to evacuate.”

About 15 minutes later he called her back and said, “We have to evacuate.” Taylor said.

“Who told you that?” Taylor asked, and he said, “The fire department.”

The Taylors were able to save photo albums, computers and their two dogs and cat.

When their shake roof caught on fire, Walt Taylor jumped up with a hose and wet it down.

“Wow. Crazy,” he said. “Two houses behind ours just went up.”

The fire department took over for Taylor so he could leave.

While he thinks the house may have been saved, he doesn’t think they’ll be living in it for a while.

Chris Taylor said they plan to spend the night at a friend’s house and wait until morning to see damage.

As residents of the Homestead Rim subdivision saw the fire coming down the ridge toward them, they got out equipment, including a brush hog, and began clearing out brush along the wooden fences that line the neighborhood. Everytime the fire would go further down the ridge, they would retreat, wait until it calmed down then tackled the fire again.

People in the area also turned on sprinklers to wet down the area, doing what they could to act as their own firefighters.

Brian McMaus works at NFIC but also lives in Homestead Rim. He credited his neighbors with saving the subdivision, “They got that line in just in time.”

Just before the fire got close enough to reach their line, Boise firefighters arrived and began cutting a larger line. Trey Glineski, who works for BLM, was driving a bulldozer and took a wide swath of brush out. “The guy went right through that fire with that thing,” said Bruce Fast, a Homestead Rim resident.

Jenifer Pfautsch knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight so she came down to Trailwinds Elementary to help out with the displaced.

She had been celebrating her birthday at home with her kids, when she noticed the dog and cat were acting strange.

Pfautsch opened the window, and smoke came in. They grabbed a few things, but had to leave the cat behind.

There are only two ways out of Columbia Village, and one was blocked off. At one point traffic wasn’t moving, and that was scary, she said.

“You never think when you live in a subdivision with 1,000 homes that you’re going to be evacuated,” Pfautsch said.

The Rowe family moved to a house on E. Aphrodite Drive just 2.5 months ago. Monday evening Kari Rowe got a call from her realtor who said a house they had looked at earlier was on fire.

“Black came up all the way around the yard … But it didn’t cross the fence,” Rowe said. She was standing in the street with her daughter, Kimmie. “I’d rather have a stinky house, than no house,” she said.

Rowe was standing in her yard, watering down the house, when a firefighter walked up to her. He put his arm around her and told her they had a good line behind the house and that he thought it would be ok. Then she burst into tears.

Idaho Power has one transmission line that comes into Boise from Mountain Home which is out because of the fire, but it shouldn’t affect delivery of power to the area, said company spokesman Russ Jones.

“The Boise Bench substation is in the vicinity of the fire, but BLM is protecting that facility in the fire goes in that direction,” Jones said.

Fire officials said all available Boise firefighters and equipment are on the scene. Several calls were made to help replenish oxygen and water.

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