Fires at construction sites in both India and the United States this week have reminded the industry of an ever-present threat.
Credit: 123RF.com
The first which occurred in Noida, near Delhi began when welding work at an under-construction building caused sparks to ignite a plastic sheet that was covering the building to contain dust and pollution. The result was that the entire sheet that stretched several floors caught fire engulfing the building in flame.
“The fire was reported around 4pm and two fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The flames were doused in around 60 minutes,” Surajpur police station SHO Maneesh Chauhan said.
While there were no casualties on that day, this was not the case in Birmingham, Alabama where one firefighter was injured fighting a place in an under-construction apartment complex.
Firefighters had responded to a call out shortly after midnight to douse a blaze at the complex, where flames had spread rapidly due to the lack of windows and doors onsite.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Capt. Harold Watson explained the fire spread rapidly and also destroyed a nearby law office that was empty at the time. It took around 50 firefighters roughly sixteen hours to contain the blaze.
CBS News affiliate CBS 42 said firefighters had to evacuate two floors of residents in an adjacent apartment building, but there was no damage reported to that structure. The cause of the fire is unclear.
