Fire races through Foxwood 8-unit condo complex in Pleasantville
June 27, 2008
by Ann Marie Fallon
On Sunday afternoon, June 22, a lighting strike to building 16 in the Foxwood condominium complex in Pleasantville ignited a massive fire. Both the Chappaqua and Millwood fire departments responded to aid the Pleasantville Fire Department.
On Monday morning, Pleasantville Fire Chief John Cullen explained that the lightning had probably hit a vent pipe on the building. The fire quickly spread throughout this standalone building of eight units. Cullen said that the structure was a truss construction, which allows the fire to advance quickly. Once one truss is compromised, the others “fall like dominos,” he said, collapsing the structure. Cullen knew that he had to act quickly to make sure there were no residents in the building, not only for their safety, but for the safety of his firefighters, whose lives would be in far greater danger fighting the fire from inside than from outside. Fortunately, residents were either already out of their homes, or had gotten out as soon as the fire began.
Firefighters know in advance, or assume “truss”
Truss construction is much less expensive than traditional post-and-beam or true rafters. It’s quick and efficient for builders and very cost effective, according to Chief Russell Maitland of the Chappaqua Fire Department. Asked whether firefighters are able to identify truss construction when called to fires in New Castle, Maitland replied that the fire departments “preplan with all commercial structures, so we know what we’re getting into. With non-commercial structures, if we don’t know what it is, we assume truss.”
The lumber joints in truss construction are secured by rectangular metal plates on the outside of the timbers. The plates are stamped to create sharp prongs on one side that are then pressed into the wood. When the metal plates heat up they expand and warp, pulling out from the wood. The wood pieces used in truss construction is also smaller and lighter and so burns faster. Fewer trusses are used than with conventional rafters, since the space that can be supported by truss construction is greater than space able to be supported by conventional rafters. Because trusses allow builders to span larger areas, they derive their strength not from each individual truss, but from the way the triangular webs of the trusses distribute the force. Thus, if one of the trusses is compromised, the others follow suit.
Little time in which to knock down a fire
“Many newer housing units are truss, and are very strong under normal conditions, except for fire or earthquake. Once truss construction is compromised, a building will go quickly,” said Maitland. With truss construction, you have 10 to 15 minutes to knock down a fire before you have to take your firefighters out, then send them back in to fight the fire after the collapse has occurred. Of course, if there are people inside it’s another matter. We’ll take the greater risk to save lives than just property.”
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