Five-Alarm Construction Fire Renews Calls for Regulations

摘要

A five-alarm fire at a wood-framed apartment building under construction in College Park, Md., has renewed calls to regulate "light-framed, combustible, podium construction," known as Type V construction, in low- to midrise buildings. Causing some $39 million in damages, the April 24 fire at the seven-story Fuse 47 project was the largest "suppression effort and the highest fire-loss estimate" in the history of Prince George County, according to fire department officials. The blaze forced nearby University of Maryland to cancel classes for the day and caused residents at a senior-citizen housing facility to temporarily relocate. No serious injuries were reported, and fire investigators' "preliminarily findings" indicate the cause was accidental.