Construction Maison

In January 2015, a massive fire in Edgewater, N.J., demonstrated that buildings with sprinkler systems are not always protected against fire. The blaze destroyed 240 residential apartments and displaced 500 people from the Edgewater Avalon apartment building . The fire began when a maintenance worker’s plumbing torch accidentally ignited wooden wall studs , and flames quickly spread throughout the structure. Fifteen minutes passed before workers called the fire department . In that time, the fire spread throughout combustible void spaces (between walls and floors) and soon engulfed the building. Emergency personnel from 35 different cities and towns ultimately responded to the incident. Thankfully, there were no fatalities. Immediately after the blaze, people asked why the fire was so devastating. The building had sprinklers, after all. Shouldn’t the sprinkler system have extinguished the fire? To make matters worse , this building had already burned down 15 years prior during i...

UPDATE: Luxury Apartment Complex Inferno Determined to Be Accidental A massive fire that swept through a luxury New Jersey apartment complex Wednesday afternoon continued to burn 12 hours after it began, causing nearby schools and roads to close Thursday. Firefighters struggled for hours to quench the flames at Avalon on the Hudson on Russell Avenue in Edgewater, 15 years after an earlier blaze burned the same complex to the ground as it was being built. "We left in what we had," displaced resident Tamara Talbott said. "We got the kids and the dogs. Our cars are all underneath. There's nothing left.”  Fire Rips Through Luxury Apartment Complex in NJ Luxury Apartment Complex in NJ" src="http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/620*349/edgewater+fire+2.jpg" /> The New York Post reports Yankees announcer John Sterling was among those displaced by the fire. The fire was mostly contained by Wednesday night , with no loss of life or major injuries report...

A fire broke out at a west Edmonton apartment complex Thursday morning in the Callingwood area, where crews arrived  to find some residents on their balconies. Edmonton Fire Rescue said 40 firefighters were called to the Westridge Estates B apartment complex at 7611-172 St. just after 8 a.m. and arrived on scene within five minutes.The fire began in a third floor suite and quickly spread. Flames could be seen shooting from the roof of the four- storey apartment building , which is owned by Boardwalk rentals.Third-floor- resident Kerry Upright said she woke up to fire alarms going off.“I heard screaming outside on the balcony,” she told Global News .“I went to the balcony and seen a guy almost jump off the balcony.” Story continues below She said she also saw smoke coming from his suite. She quickly gathered her things and left the building through a smoke-filled hallway. “It was pitch black and it was covered in smoke.” Watch below: We’re learning more about the measures people to...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A massive fire in Hagerstown has forced more than 70 people from their apartments Tuesday night . It started right after a thunderstorm rolled through. Residents say the fire started right after the building was hit by lightning, and they watched for 30 minutes while the fire department was unable to get enough water on the flames. “It was just horrific. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” said Shawn Lohr, who lives across from the complex. “We heard the lightning hit, but I thought it hit outside on the pavement, and then the next thing I know, the alarm went off,” said Roxie Vickers, who lives in the apartments. The State Fire Marshal ’s Office confirms the fire was caused by a lightning strike, and all residents of the apartment have been accounted for. It was just after 8 p.m., when the storms rolled through Hagerstown, and the Woodbridge North Apartments went up in flames. “In a matter of 15-20 minutes, it was the whole roof, gone,” one resident said. “...

Mission Bay Apartment Destroyed By Five Alarm Fire" width="620" height="412" /> Crews this afternoon have started demolishing the remains of an apartment building that was under construction in San Francisco ’s Mission Bay neighborhood when it was destroyed in a five- alarm fire Tuesday . The fire was reported just before 5 p.m. and quickly grew, sending up a dark plume of smoke that could be seen from many parts of the Bay Area. Flames spread and engulfed the building, and there was initial concern that the blaze could spread to other structures. The flames have since been quelled and water has been poured onto the building overnight and throughout most of the day, according to fire officails. The blaze has been contained to the building, but nearby buildings, including the Strata at Mission Bay apartments and a building at the University of California at San Francisco Mission Bay campus , were damaged by flying embers, excessive heat and smoke, officia...

Jeff Malachowski Daily News Staff @JMalachowskiMW MARLBOROUGH – Firefighters quickly put out a blaze inside an unoccupied residence at the Royal Crest apartments Tuesday afternoon , mostly limiting the damage to that one apartment, said Fire Chief Kevin Breen . A resident of the apartment complex called 911 after seeing smoke emanating from a third-floor balcony of one of the residential buildings at the facility around 12:45 p.m., said Breen. Fire crews arrived moments later and encountered heavy smoke and fire. Firefighters immediately began an aggressive outside attack on the blaze and were able to quickly put it out, said Breen. The apartment was empty, which aided crews in containing the fire to the apartment. Breen said if there had been furniture and other materials in the apartment, the fire could have spread and the damage could have been much worse. “The fire was just ready to break from the area of origin,” said Breen. “We were very fortunate.” The apartment ...

A Broadway landmark was reduced to a pile of bricks and steel beams by a wrecking crew Aug . 15. An excavator equipped with a metal claw began knocking down the building at 700 Broadway, which became a structural hazard once fire gutted it Aug. 6. The intersection of Broadway and West Seventh Street was blocked to car traffic and walkers, but several dozen people stood on both streets to watch the action on the building, which also was known as the Thistle Block or the Thistle Building. The excavator claw ripped into the building starting just after 1:30 p.m. >>PHOTOS: Demo begins on 700 Broadway Advertisement “It’s devastating,” said Marco Calo, 35, a resident who lost many personal belongings in the fire. Calo said his losses included copies of his resume and paperwork for scheduled job interviews , leaving him without directions for finding work. Using his cell phone, Calo streamed the demolition live via Facebook, communicating with family and friends. “Have ...

(photo credit: Christopher Casey) (photo credit: Blaine Anderson) BILLINGS - Multiple fire units responded to an apartment complex fire along Rimrock Road and Zimmerman Trail on Sunday afternoon. Shortly after 4 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the area for a report of a grass fire that extended to the Westridge Apartments.  The blaze was extinguished quickly by Billings Fire Department but not before the flames charred ripped through the south side of the building. Three people were transported for minor injuries while three others were evaluated and refused transportation, according to fire officials . It's unknown how it began, but fire officials said it began outside and spread inside the fourplex. It caused $500,000 in damages.

WALLKILL, New York (WABC) -- Officials said careless smoking likely sparked a fire that injured several people and destroyed a dozen homes in Orange County, New York, early Tuesday morning . The fire broke out juat after 1 a.m. in the Crestwood Apartments in Wallkill. Strong winds fanned the flames and caused the fire to spread quickly. By the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the entire building was engulfed. This is cellphone video showing the fire: Cell phone video captures spectacular fire overnight at the Crestwood apartments in Wallkill. One section of the complex has been condemned pic.twitter.com/pj7cup39Al — Marcus Solis (@MarcusSolis7) January 24, 2017 It took firefighters several hours to bring the fire under control. Tuesday afternoon, town officials inspected what was left of the building -- the center unit in the complex. More than a dozen families have been displaced, and two residents were taken away on stretchers. Those are the two in critical condition. T...