Eight-Alarm Fire Destroys Wood Apartment Building in Boston Suburb
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On July 23, a five-building, four-story, lightweight wood-framed apartment complex under construction in Waltham, MA, was engulfed in flames, destroying all five structures over a two-block area. The apartment complex, which would have comprised 264 luxury apartments and 26 affordable units, was slated to open in 2018. The blaze marks the FOURTH major regional fire featuring this type of construction in the region since June, with the other three occurring in Dorchester, Lowell and Lawrence, MA.
Robert Logan, vice president of the Waltham City Council and former chair of the council’s ordinance and rules committee, expressed concern Sunday about the use of that type of construction."It seems to be all the rage these days," Logan said. "But they seem to burn pretty well." Logan called for the state to reevaluate the use of wood-frame construction, citing a number of fires across the country that burned down such apartment complexes during construction.
