Officials continue to investigate the cause of the massive Dorchester fire that severely damaged an 83-unit condo building that was under construction and due to open in July. One construction worker suffered chest pains and was treated.
Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn said during a news conference Thursday that while the building met all fire and safety codes, some of the building materials currently being used makes fighting fires challenging for firefighters. According to Finn, “…under the building code you can build one story of steel or concrete and then raise up four stories of wooden construction … and with the size and scope of the building … it’s nothing but a tinderbox.”
The Dorchester building was set to test its sprinkling system the day after the fire, and officials say it either wasn’t turned on or it failed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
During an interview with WGBH's Morning Edition, Boston Fire Marshall Jack Dempsey echoed Finn’s comments saying, “there’s a new trend in building lately where they’re building five to six-story buildings out of lightweight wood frame construction and with the size of it, if there's not a sprinkler system, it’s a problem.”
Dempsey also addresses issues surrounding the June 14 fire in London at Grenfell Tower where 80 people are presumed dead. The tower had combustible “cladding” façade material. Cladding, a cover or coating material on a structure, is legal in Massachusetts, one of three states in the nation that allows such material to be used in construction.
To listen to Boston Fire Marshall and Deputy Chief Jack Dempsey's entire interview with host Bob Seay, click on the audio player above.
