A year after Charlotte’s deadly SouthPark blaze, there’s a push for more fire prevention
A year after a fire roared through an apartment complex under construction in SouthPark, killing two and forcing 15 more to be rescued, changes at the state and local levels seek to prevent similar tragedies.
The Charlotte fire marshal has increased staff and communication efforts among builders and the Mecklenburg County building department, he said. And state officials are seeking to strengthen fire safety standards across North Carolina.
The standards, in the form of updated National Fire Protection Association codes, include specific safeguards for construction sites involving large, wood-framed buildings, like the one that caught fire on Liberty Row Drive on May 18, 2023.
If approved, the updated NFPA codes would require that an on-site manager — someone hired by the property owner — conduct and record daily fire safety inspections. The changes would also require that the site’s fire prevention program be submitted to the local fire department.
Fire-prevention programs spell out the number and locations of the building’s exits, identify combustible materials, lay out how workers would warn each other if a fire breaks out and ways to control a fire.
When fire broke out at the SouthPark location on May 18, 2023, the construction site had only one exit — a second stairway had been removed two weeks before the blaze, according to a lawsuit filed by the families of Demonte Sherrill and Reuben Holmes, who died in the fire.
The fire started when a generator in a trailer malfunctioned. Flames spread to spray foam chemicals stored in the same trailer then roared up and across the timber walls and ceilings.
When workers noticed the flames they ran up and down the stairway, yelling “fire,” the lawsuit states. And it alleges that they tried for seven minutes to extinguish the flames themselves before calling 911.
“If the code is followed, I think we’ll see some significant reduction in risks on the job site,” said Charlie Johnson, chief fire code consultant for the N.C. Office of State Fire Marshal.
But first the changes have to be approved, said Johnson, adding that he expects that they will.
The North Carolina Rules Review Commission will review the changes in the coming months, according to its agenda. If commissioners approve the adoptions, the changes will go into effect in January 2025.
Change in Charlotte
Locally, the Charlotte Fire Marshal’s Office has added 12 new inspectors since the SouthPark fire, bringing its total to about 50, said Fire Marshal Kevin Miller.
The office went from four to six new construction inspectors, he said, allowing the city to respond to questions and complaints more quickly.
Miller said the additional inspectors will help the office better keep up with the city’s growth.
His office now meets with developers and the Mecklenburg County Building Department prior to the county issuing a building permit, Miller said.
The initial meeting lets the Fire Marshal’s Office exchange contact information, go over fire safety codes and highlight important timelines, such as when a construction site must have water access and when its access roads have to be paved to support the weight of emergency vehicles, Miller said.
The meeting, he said, takes about a half hour.
“The main goal is for communication to be streamlined, between the fire department, county, contractor and developer,” Miller said. “That’s going to reduce the amount of things that are going wrong at the construction site before the building.
He added: “It’s going to reduce the amount of people getting hurt.”
