A serious, easily overlooked condition
John E. Sleights, SFPE
Franklin, Massachusetts
The bottom right photo and caption in Preplanning Building Hazards (Francis L. Brannigan, April 1996) caught my eye, and I wish to relate a story from my fire service experience regarding a similar condition.
Until recently, I was an active volunteer firefighter, EMT, and fire service instructor. Near the beginning of my 20-plus years in the fire service, we responded to a midafternoon call for a structure fire. We were the second-due company and had the longest run to make, at least five miles. When we were about halfway there, the first engine arrived from the other company and reported a working fire.
On arrival, we found the fire to be in a large 212-story, wood-frame house that dated from the turn of the century. The neighborhood was originally developed around that era as a resort area, and this place was set back from the street with the back side facing a river. There were flames out two street side windows on the second floor, and a crew from the first engine was trying to get up the front stairs with an attack line.
My partner and I took another line to the second floor via a ladder that had been raised to a corner porch. That put us in a bedroom next to the room of origin. We knocked down what fire we could find in a closet but could hear it burning overhead. Part of the ceiling was pulled down but no fire was located, only a solid deck (probably the attic floor). After reporting this outside to the officer, we began to search for the attic access. Shortly after this, the order was given to evacuate the building. The line was backed out, and we followed with our tools, etc. I don`t know for sure how long we had been in there, but I do remember that neither of us had exhaused two original cylinders on our 30-minute air packs.
A few minutes after we exited the building, the second floor and roof collapsed onto the first floor toward the center rear of the house (in a big “V”). After the fire, we learned that since the house had been built as a summer “cottage,” it was designed for entertainment and parties. Over half of the first floor (toward the rear) was one wide open space without support columns or load-bearing walls to interfere. The support for the second floor was via long stretch bolts or rods (as in the photo), passing up through the second floor walls, to trusses in the attic. The fire made its way into the attic early on, attacked the trusses, and you know the rest. The first crew in reported that a lot of plaster and ceiling were falling on them while they tried to get up the front stairs. Buried somewhere I have photos taken after the fire in which the rods are visibly sticking up through the burned-away roof.
Oddly enough, I had been in that house at least twice for ambulance calls but had never seen the rear side of the first floor. The officer who pulled everyone out did so on gut reaction based on the apparent buildup of fire in the attic and our reports. Good decision in my book!
