“If there was a delay on any of the alarms, they didn’t go off because there was nothing to activate them,” he said. They eventually did sound, he said, and “the building performed the way it was designed and did what it was supposed to do.”
A review of security video showed “everything worked,” Nardello said. Apartment sprinkler systems didn’t activate because the heat from the fire didn’t reach them. The department does an inspection when sprinkler systems are installed and tested. The department also signs off to accept the alarm and suppression systems as operable, Nardello said. The installing company performs an annual flow test and periodically tests the sprinkler heads.
All of the fire hydrants at the building were installed and working properly, according to the chief.
Other inspections are carried out by the city building inspector throughout the construction process. Mandan Building Official Shawn Ouradnik was out of the office last week and not available for comment.
It’s too early to know the future of the building that burned last week, according to Butz and Eman.
The building that burned last year was later razed and has not been rebuilt. City records show the property has been sold to HM4 LLC, whose registered agent is James Moen, one of the principal investors in JDS Holdings LLP. The two companies are registered under Moen’s address in Burlington.
