Lansdale Borough officials have released a statement following Tuesday’s fire at B Building at the Madison Lansdale Station Apartment Community.
The statement reads, in full:
As anyone who has been along Madison Street has seen, there is a flurry of activity surrounding Madison Lansdale Station Apartments, with multiple buildings at different stages of construction. With a project the size and scope of Madison Lansdale Station, there are many facets involved, and through cooperative efforts of the Borough and project developers, this endeavor has already made a significant positive impact in Lansdale.
On Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 2:30 p.m., Lansdale Electric crews were on site at the Madison Lansdale Station Apartments completing work on electrical connections to the final two buildings. When one of the buildings was energized, the Lansdale Electric crew inadvertently energized the cold-water pipe that is grounded to the earth, which in turn caused some insulation to smolder and eventually set off the alarms. Both Fairmount Fire and Lansdale Police teams entered the structure, found the source of the alarms and took immediate action to avoid substantial damage to the building. With the excessive temperatures this week, several fire fighters were treated for heat-related issues, but all have recovered and are doing well today.
Throughout the entire construction process, EQUUS has taken all preventative measures to limit any issues and provide a high-quality product for future Lansdale residents. The electrical malfunction that took place yesterday was not a result of poor workmanship, shoddy materials or any other short cut taken by builders. In fact, the fire alarm system functioned properly and helped our emergency personnel to quickly identify the fire threat and help to prevent further damage to the building. Now that the electric department has energized all buildings, the entire project must be inspected by a third-party electrical underwriter and certified by the state.
As the building where the fire event took place was unoccupied, damage to the building was superficial. The Borough is already working with EQUUS and our insurance company to address any property loss. The safety of our residents, businesses, developers and staff are of paramount importance to the Borough, so following the incident, Lansdale Electric completed a full review of protocol to prevent this type of issue from happening in the future.
The Borough is thankful that no one was seriously injured in this incident, in large part because of the cooperation of EQUUS, its contractors and the quick action of our emergency personnel and Borough staff.
Members of the Fairmount Fire Company were dispatched to the 300-block of Madison Street on Tuesday at 2:22 p.m. for a report of a small electrical fire inside the wall of one of the apartments. Upon arrival, the fire was out, but fire personnel encountered a smoke condition inside of the room.
Then, at 3:34 p.m., members of the Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company were dispatched to the scene for a report of another small fire in the same building, but at a different interior location. Fairmount Fire Chief Joe Stockert said on Tuesday night that both fires were linked.
Tuesday’s fire follows a roof fire that occurred at the E Building in early April. In that case, a fire started at an air conditioning unit on the roof, causing minimal damage.
See also:
Fairmount Fire Company Responds To Fire At Madison Lansdale Station Apartments
Exclusive: First Look Inside Lansdale Station Apartments
Madison Station Apartments Still On Schedule Despite Roof Fire
Roof Fire Damages Madison Station Apartments In Lansdale
