Officials Debate Building Codes After Edgewater Fire By Brenda Flanagan Correspondent “We responded to Edgewater with what’s called a strike team,” said East Rutherford Fire Chief Justin Lahullier. Lahullier rushed to help knock down the flames ravaging Avalon Bay in Edgewater, watched fire devour its lightweight wooden beams like kindling. Firefighters raced to evacuate tenants before the roof collapsed. “It’s not the best call to get because you know you have less time, and in these residential cases, you have a lot of civilians to protect. But it’s concerning when something happens at a building like that,” Lahullier said. “It’s toothpick construction. It’s a danger to the people who live there and it’s a danger to the fire service — the guys that have to go in and bring those people out,” said Charles Aughenbaugh. Aughenbaugh’s past president of New Jersey’s Department Fire Chief Association. He says composite lightweight wood structures often contain truss roof designs and open spaces that can serve as fire conduits, particularly along the attic. “The fire just ran right through the cockloft — open chases — and it’s lucky that all the people got out,” Aughenbaugh said. Aughenbaugh says lightweight wood construction’s popular because it’s strong and cheaper to build in an [...] newsinnj/officials-debate-building-codes-after-edgewater-fire/
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 20:16:08 +0000