Hundreds of people have been forced out of their apartments in Newton due to a small fire and subsequent water damage. Nearly 800 people, many of them elderly, are displaced after the fire in the south tower at the Towers of Chestnut Hill apartment complex.
Chestnut Hill (South) Tower fire displaces nearly 800 residents
by village14 | Apr 23, 2019 | Newton | 6 comments
I’m always impressed with the bravery of firefighters who confront deadly disaster at a moments notice 24/7/365. Newton firefighters response at The Towers is commendable. A tower fire is not a common occurrence in Newton.
I think it would be very beneficial to have an independent expert analysis of the response. In all likelihood it would reconfirm that firefighters did everything right. But an opportunity to learn from this fire should not be overlooked.
I agree Newton’s first responders did a fabulous job at the site. Newton’s Building and Fire Departments need to do a thorough investigation to make sure that adequate permits were pulled and appropriate inspections conducted.
I’d like to know what it is about the construction of the Towers that led to water damage to one apartment causing electrical failure to two entire towers. I grew up in a city of high-rises (NYC) and have never heard of a fire limited to one unit causing this kind of global problem..
I’m doubling back to this thread because I’m disappointed in the Mayor’s response. While Mayor Fuller is correct that the performance of Newton’s emergency services to the tower fire was commendable, the response to this unique [to Newton] fire should be assessed by an outside expert, not simply through the standard “after-action review” as the Mayor has suggested. There is an opportunity here to truly learn from this tower fire, and it may save lives in the future. A myopic perspective does not serve that end.
Kudos to our brave men and women of the Newton Fire Department and other First Responder’s
Still I question why both towers were evacuated instead of limiting the evacuation to one tower .
I understand there ware electrical concerns but was the wiring scheme so old and outdated that one building couldn’t be isolated from the other?
@ Greg- This was not a “small fire” as you state in your story line. I have been in the building several times since the fire and there is literally tens of millions of dollars in both personal and building damage. The entire South Tower has smoke damage to all floors and water damage to floors 8 and below. The owners of units on floors 8 and 7 will be displaced for months as their damage was extensive. The Investigation is on-going to determine what was the scope of work being done in the unit and if such work required pulling building permits as well as determining the cause of the fire.