Firefighters battle blaze at Ann Arbor condominium complex
Firefighters battle a blaze at the Walden Hills condo complex in the 2100 block of Pauline Boulevard of Ann Arbor Thursday.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
A fire destroyed two units and damaged several others at an Ann Arbor condominium complex Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Crews were called to the Walden Hills condominiums in the 2100 block of Pauline Boulevard around 1 p.m. for the fire.
Ann Arbor fire Battalion Chief Steve Lowe said smoke and heavy flames were coming from a third-floor unit when firefighters arrived. They knocked down the fire fairly quickly, but at 1:45 p.m. crews were still at the scene working to put out "hot spots," officials said.
Two units on the third floor were a total loss due to fire damage, Lowe said. Four units below sustained significant water damage. The six units were uninhabitable after the fire, Lowe said. The Washtenaw-Lenawee Chapter of the American Red Cross were at the scene assisting residents of approximately the six units, it said in a release.
Firefighters met black smoke billowing up from the condo complex when they arrived.
Courtesy of AAFD
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation by officials, it appears to have started while a resident was doing repairs.
Garen Hart said he was fixing a leaky pipe in the bathroom when insulation in the wall caught on fire. After calling 911, he said he ran out into the hallway, smashed the glass case containing a fire extinguisher and began spraying the flames in the walls.
The fire, however, had spread into the ceiling, so Hart said he ran outside. He suffered a minor cut on his hand from breaking the glass to get the extinguisher.
Crews from Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township and Ypsilanti Township were at the scene.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Widow Wadman
Sun, Aug 18, 2013 : 4:07 a.m.
The fire sounds like it was an accident and not intentionally set but the fire inspector's report and the insurance inspectors' reports will be telling on that point. If Garen Hart was doing something criminal (working within walls owned by the condominium association without permission), then I hope that he is prosecuted. When unskilled, unlicensed people do work in condominiums that results in damage to neighbors' property, then they should be held accountable. It is costly to other members of the condominium association as they end up being forced to cover rebuilds and footing the cost of increased insurance premiums. In this case someone could have been killed. The pipes in the bathroom may connect with pipes in the wall that are owned by the association. Was he trying to weld the two together? Did he do poor electrical repairs as well as poor plumbing repairs which resulted in the fire? The laws of the condominium association probably have language that forbid occupants from doing things that risk causing a fire. Insurance companies and neighbors probably have grounds to sue Garen Hart for recovery of costs.
stranger
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 4:02 a.m.
Mr. Hart may be rich and rebuild the whole building, or may be in dept and be in public shelter after his place was burned. (I doubt it is the former, because if I had enough I wouldn't live in the apartment). I hope everyone who can't get into their apartments have family and friends to support them until the place is rebuilt. But the "lessons learned" is not about them. You can't stop accidents from happening, including in professional environments, otherwise we wouldn't have any. A few months ago I had a good chance of accidently starting a fire because my newly purchased laptop adapter plug started smoking and melting after having worked just fine for a few days. Had I been away and not seen and smelled the smoke, my whole place would be gone. And this can happen with anyone including you, considering the cheap Chinese household products we get to buy these days. But the real question for the community and especially those that live in the apartment buildings is how to prevent it in the future. If we can't stop it, can we at least work on trying to minimize it, or prevent it from spreading. The question is – can I feel safe from the fire started by a cheap electrical plug (or any other source) in my neighbor's apartment. Do the building codes require fire-safe or fire-resistant barriers between apartments and even between rooms. If yes, is my building up to the code, and if no, should the code be changed to require it? The good news is that the insurance industry has a financial interest in it, because ultimately they are the ones who end up paying for the damages, and if motivated, they can make our lives safer.
murphthesurf
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 12:46 p.m.
whose gonna pay for re-build,mr hart?
Widow Wadman
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 11:38 a.m.
John Counts, this is more than a story about a fire and the response of the fire department. It is about an unlicensed person performing work that resulted in 6 condominium units becoming uninhabitable. It is probably also about a condominium complex that was not being adequately managed by the agent and condominium board. Ann Arbor has many condominium owners and lessees. It is not uncommon that an owner, tenant, or maintenance person for the management agent tries to perform repairs that are beyond the person's abilities which results in property loss for other people. Please keep us apprised of the contents of the fire inspector's report and the insurance investigators' reports, and any criminal and civil proceedings that result. I do expect some litigation against Garen Hart and his insurance company because the condominium association will not, most likely, be responsible to replace the contents of the units. Please also let us know what was being done by the management company and condominium board to respond to requests for plumbing repairs and electrical upgrades.
Widow Wadman
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
Where was the management company when this was going on? What was Mr. Garen Hart doing making plumbing repairs. I don't think he is a licensed plumber. Was he using a torch to solder a joint? Did he own the walls or were they shared walls? Mr. Garen Hart may be liable for working within walls that he didn't own and for making plumbing repairs without a license.
westsideguy
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 4:08 p.m.
It appears to have been an accident. Why is blame, combined with condemnation, always a response for some people? Sometimes things don't go the way they should. Sometimes there are accidents. That's why we buy insurance. Just be glad people are safe.
Rebecca Morris
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 2:25 a.m.
An investigator today apparently concluded that it is not at all clear what caused the fire. I know that in situations like this there is a wish to find fault with someone, and in many cases there is clear negligence. That does not appear to be the case at all here, based on the inspection of the fire scene today, in my understanding of what took place today. So as tragic as this is for all involved, I agree with Stranger that before rushing to judgment and making insinuations or accusations based on evidence we don't actually have, we might also want to consider the quick-thinking actions of this resident who acted very very quickly when the fire was noticed, with the result that firefighters were quickly on the scene and damage was curbed. Also, as others have noted, very thankfully there were no injuries. There is a lot to be grateful for here, even in the midst of all the tragic loss.
Widow Wadman
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
If he didn't own the walls and if he wasn't licensed then he was wrong on two counts. He may very face criminal charges. I think that the neighbors who had to leave their homes have grounds to sue in a civil court. BTW I didn't suggest that using a torch was illegal. If the guy was doing plumbing himself was that because the management company was not responding when he called for help or did he just take it upon himself to work in the walls? Lots of questions to be answered.
stranger
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 7:06 p.m.
Give some credit to the guy who would have been a hero to the neighbors for trying to fix something that was broken, should there've been no accident, or whatever happened. BTW, it is not illegal to use a torch on joins, and the owner doesn't need a license to do repairs.
Fat Bill
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 5:02 a.m.
This sort of incident makes me very paranoid with regard to living in an apartment, duplex,or aattached condo. You are only as safe as the most careless resident allows you to be...my home may have been delivered on wheels and will fly to pieces in a tornado; but I don't have to worry about my neighbor accidentally burning my place down with his...
ThinkingOne
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 2:59 p.m.
I do not know where you live Bill, but there are plenty of places you mention where the homes are so close it is really irrelevant that they are not attached. I too will take my chances in an attached condo. I have always been worried about tornadoes, especially after seeing the destruction when one hit within a mile of my parents' house.
djacks24
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 1:30 p.m.
Unfortunately, I used to own one of those "boxes" you talk about. I'd much rather take my chances any day with my duplex style condo. To each their own.
Fat Bill
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 5:04 a.m.
Attached that is...an aattached condo must be one located in AA...
David Briegel
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 2:37 a.m.
All you Fire Marshals, Ann Arbor Fire Dept handled the fire just fine. They didn't need any more equipment and they called for backup just in case. I believe all the local dept's back up for one another. The sad part is that there are 24 families needlessly displaced.
hmsp
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 11:57 p.m.
Saw the black cloud as I pulled into the Westgate Chase. Made three transactions, then headed over to Kroger's... and only then heard the siren, and saw the truck race by. Seems like quite a time lag, especially in these cell phone days.
BornNRaised
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 12:30 a.m.
Did you have a cell phone?
Jim Pryce
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 9:34 p.m.
Was working on Maple when all the fire trucks went past & I saw on my trip to the hardware store the police had Pauline blocked off.
joeboxer
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 8:54 p.m.
Drove by the area. I was surprised that I didn't see that new 1 million dollar tower truck that I thought the city bought. What's the story?
blowingsmoke
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 1:29 a.m.
Joeboxer, Well its my understanding the current staffing model did not have either truck in service. How long it took for the first mutual aid truck get there, I don't know. I believe many people thought the new tower would be downtown evidently it is stationed out at the Briarwood Mall station.
joeboxer
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 12:40 a.m.
@blowingsmoke - What, why? I Don't understand this. There are two Tower trucks now in A2 and neither of them were there? They called mutual aid to get one? How long did that take? This does not make any sense. I was under the impression that my tax dollars helped to buy a new one that would be downtown.
blowingsmoke
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 8:28 p.m.
Joe, Both of Ann Arbors $ 1,000,000.00 Tower trucks sat idle in their respective stations. This is a result of the latest staffing model. Mutual aid was requested to get a Tower truck on scene.
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
I'm a fan of sharkbite plumbing fixtures in tight places , no solder, no fire.
Ryan Munson
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 3:30 a.m.
Thankfully everyone is safe as the Ann Arbor Fire Department and others who assisted with putting out the blaze did a really good job! If what was going on is true and is verified through the investigation, Garen should not of been working on pipes as that is not an owner responsibility. That is an association responsibility. I am a landlord to displaced tenants next door and have owned a condo going into my 5th year there.
Gill
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 12:29 a.m.
Available at Stadium Hardware right down the road.
tmc
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 7:34 p.m.
I wish AA would decide to fund its Fire Department to full staffing so that AA would not have to rely on surrounding Departments to help it out (almost all the time). The is not meant to disparage the AA fire figihting crews but to point out a fundamental flaw in the allocation of funds to support essential City services. Unless other AAFD trucks were at the scene of another incident, AA should have had the resources to handle this one alone.
joeboxer
Sat, Aug 17, 2013 : 12:45 a.m.
johnnya2 - It's one thing to have the equipment; it's another to decide not to take it and use others equipment, per blowingsmoke.
johnnya2
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 2:11 a.m.
they do have the resources to handle this one alone,. BUT one of the things that ALL fire departments do nationwide is error on the side of caution. If you get there and it is too large to handle, it is TOO LATE> Bring in more than you need as early as possible and you avoid loss of life and property. It is why a dumpster fire has a truck brought to it and completely put out, instead of just saying use a sprinkler on it.
WalkingJoe
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 10:48 p.m.
I think it might be possible that the crews on scene may have asked for help to err on the side of caution since this seems like it could have been a potentially large fire. That said I believe fire departments like to keep some of their own crews in reserve in case another call comes in and they have personnel familiar with the area.
Fordie
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 8:14 p.m.
I generally agree with tmc's assertion that AAFD should have the resources to take on most fires without assistance from other communities, I think it's reasonable that for a good-sized apartment building that they call for mutual aid. That being said, is there an agreement with Scio Township (or Dexter/Scio, whatever it's called now)? It seems like the Zeeb Rd. station is not very far away compared to Ypsilanti Township.
Barb
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 7:28 p.m.
Saw the smoke and heard all the sirens from the patio of Knight's - so glad everyone's OK.
Linda Peck
Thu, Aug 15, 2013 : 7:21 p.m.
I am so glad no one was seriously hurt. This is a very densely populated area.