10 months ago
ASHBURN, Va. (WUSA) -- New houses have a series of firestops to keep fire from spreading from one floor to the next, says Mike Gorman, Owner of Oakridge Communities builders.
investigators says the house on Jackson Street in North East where six people died in a fire on New Year's Day did not.
Fire officials say it was built with balloon frame construction, popular before 1940.
In houses built that way, the studs run from the foundation to the eaves.
"That allows fire to travel from the basement to the attic in minutes," Gorman says. "That's why builders backed away from that in the 1950's.
If your house is older, Gorman says you want to find a way to seal the spaces between floors.
"You could use wood, or drywall," he says.
An overhead sprinkler could be a lifesaver , but that's not cheap. His company offers them from between $12,000 tp $15,000 for newly constructed homes.
DC Fire Chief Dennis Rubin says never underestimate the benefit of a good smoke detector.
"That would reduces fire fatalities by half, if people used them."
Rubin says the DC Council is considering legislation mandating sprinklers in all new construction.
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