The massive fire that broke out last Thursday morning should be a wake-up call to all of Charlotte.
But the May 18 fire that occured on Liberty Row Drive just off Fairview Road and claimed the lives of two construction workers will likely be dismissed as just an unfortunate accident.
Yet, Charlotte City leaders hell bent on density saturation for years need to now admit their abject failure didn’t fully understand the ridiculous concept of building apartments on top of apartments.
There is no reason other the prue greed to continue to develop Charlotte real estate in sure a manner SouthPark is over saturated with rental units. The 6100 Fairview building where Cedar Posts worked for 15 years is currently less than 68% occupied and even so most of those office spaces are void of personal.
Squeezing two apartment buildings between parking decks on a foot print that was originally designed for an office tower is just unimaginable.
While all responsible may not be directly at fault, everything that could go wrong did so in rapid succession.
And questions are many:
What did Charlotte Fire know about the project?
Were there repetitive reoccurring fire safety inspections?
Did Charlotte Fire know how to enter the property? Did they have the details about the project, emergency plans and procedures, temporary standpipe locations, and fire truck access?
Is there any truth to the rumor that the two workers who perished where trapped by a dumpster blocking a stairwell exit?
Did and developer and general contractor keep Charlotte Fire updated about the progress of the construction?
Was there a continual flow of information between Meck County Building Standards inspectors and Charlotte Fire?
.jpg)
Muster points, job site egress locations, specific hazards, and procedures?
Did the large number of Spanish only speaking labors play a role in the inability to contain the fire and loss of life?
Did the General Contractor hold fire drills to insure each person knew not only how to exit the project but what to do to ensure the safety of first responders and fellow workers?
.jpg)
Real quiet over at the jail.
ReplyDeleteThe density question is absolutely appropriate considering city council never met a developer that they did not like. They also seek to develop every acre of land they can find. Now the trend is to develop up and use cheaper wood construction instead of concrete and concrete block. Wood framing is considerably more vulnerable to fire until fire suppression systems can be installed as well as flame resistant drywall. Notice it is resistant, not fire proof, meaning it would burn somewhat slower allowing the fire suppression system to assist, but both must be there to work together. In this case neither were there, due to the phase of construction. In any case hats off to CFD! It is nothing short of a miracle that only two were KIA. Prayers to their families.
ReplyDeleteThis sort of timber frame multistory apartment building should be unlawful.
ReplyDeleteThink Glenfell Tower in London and google "stack effect". STOP this madness in Charlotte before we have a another tragic all hands call.
I work across the street from the 6100 building the size and the speed of the fire was terrifying. I looked like the firemen were trying to find a way to get to the fire. The firetrucks were going in and coming back out some were just circling the block. It looked like they had no plan.
ReplyDeleteAt first employees in a neighboring office building were told to stay inside and close the hvac down. Then they were told to evacuate as the heat was coming through the windows...they all ran to their cars only to find super gridlock in the car garage... luckily they got out eventually...super lucky
ReplyDeleteSomething just doesn't seem right here. Is there going to be a formal investigation?
ReplyDelete7:40 Ya Think?
ReplyDelete