Posted on 03/20/2017 7:18:04 PM PDT by Mercat
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A huge fire at an apartment building under construction in suburban Kansas City has sparked fires at several homes blocks away. The eight-alarm fire broke out about 3:30 p.m. Monday at the multimillion-dollar CityPlace development in Overland Park, Kansas, sending plumes of smoke and embers toward homes in the suburban neighborhood nearby, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/2nLM3Hg ). Once one roof caught fire, embers jumped from roof to roof, spreading the blaze, said Overland Park Fire Department spokesman Jason Rhodes. "It's a bit of a war zone down there frankly," Rhodes said. No serious injuries were reported, although one firefighter suffered a minor injury, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
bttt
I know what propane can do.
There was a warehouse fire in Buffalo many years ago where the building filled with propane fumes and something happened to ignite it.
BIG mess.
The ATF are investigating the fire in Raleigh...
OUCH
Open question: Was it ever determined what started that big fire in Raleigh last week?
Yes! The Raleigh fire was also a building (complex?) under construction!
Nope...Not yet...As I said, the ATF are investigating...
I have people who live there...About 5 miles from where the fire was...
Never mind me, folks! I need to read before posting!
Thanks for the replies!
Sure....
I live in a very small town too, but I like to know what is going on around the country and the World. After all, like the weather, all news is local news.
They build six story apartment building with large footprints, out of 2x4s and plywood, which will burn like gasoline once a fire gets started. They don’t become fire safe until the drywall and sprinklers go in, and the fireproofing is sprayed in the dead spaces. One of these burnt in Conshohocken, Pa.
http://morethanthecurve.com/five-year-anniversay-of-the-conshohocken-fire/
They’ll think it is a reasonable risk until some fire company gets taken out by the fire gods.
Here’s a video of what the apartment complex WOULD HAVE looked like when completed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwDvrVuDtA
ATF investigated the big 2012 West Oakland (CA) fire.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Elite-team-searches-for-clues-to-big-fire-3649734.php
My grandkids live two blocks away and had to be evacuated. Embers from the original fire damaged or destroyed 17 nearby homes.
My son lives about 1000 feet south of the new apartments being built. His place was OK but there were a bunch of homes that suffered from the blowing hot embers falling on the houses. Causing their homes to burn. Tonight there are still 600 homes without power. Very strange situation.
Glad your son’s house came thru unscathed. On the news coverage from the helicopter we could see my grandkids house and the fire was so close I couldn’t believe it never caught
Yep a big mess.
In 2015 a completed and occupied wood frame apartment complex went up in NJ. IIRC that was ruled accidental due to maintenance work involving open flame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiV8CVYIPAw
It has always seemed like a bad idea to build massive 3-5 story buildings the size of a city block out of wood. Sure is is cheap, but as seen in NJ, even with sprinklers once fire finds the wood framing they always go to multiple alarms and usually a defensive operation to save nearby buildings. In the end all that is left is the foundation and stairwells.
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