By Brenda Flanagan
Correspondent
Excavators pulled girders down as two mayors and two county executives stood outside in the Princeton cold. Behind them, demolition cleared the way for 280 high-rise apartments to be built by Avalon Bay — a brand new building not unlike the Avalon Bay complex that burned to the ground in Edgewater last month.
“As we watched that complex in Edgewater go up in flames, our hearts went out to all the people going through the trauma of losing their homes and we couldn’t help but think that could’ve been Princeton. We all want to make sure the devastating inferno that burned down the apartment building in Edgewater does not happen again,” said Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert.
In a display of solidarity, the pols called for two major updates to New Jersey’s building safety codes: first, concrete firewalls in multi-family residential units, said Bergen Executive Jim Tedesco.
“Masonry firewalls — you compartmentalize and limit the spread, vertically, of the fire,” he said.
Second, full sprinkler systems — including hallways, attic spaces and bathrooms.
“The piping is already there. Today we mandate there’s sprinklers in there. How much more does it take to fully sprinkler the building?” asked Tedesco.
Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland says sprinklers and firewalls might’ve helped save part of Avalon Bay.
“The fire went through the walls and the firemen in there, they couldn’t find the fire and as it smoldered it went vertically and horizontally. And they were trying desperately to find the fire. We had firemen in there and the floor space started collapsing,” he said.
An Avalon Bay spokesman had no comment at this time. But residents in the surrounding neighborhoods worry about the Princeton complex the company plans to construct here.
“I live 100 feet from the property line of this complex and that’s my major concern. I’m one of the closest residents here and my house is over 50 years old, it’s all wood construction and it would go up like a matchbox if one of those flames hit my house,” said John Armonia.
The company executives say any construction here would happen only after a review the state’s building safety codes atleast they say they’ve gotten those assurances from the Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable.