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From the
Times-Union:
ALBANY -- The March 21 fire in an Adirondack group home that killed four disabled people was "the result of human action," according to a report from the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
"All accidental and natural ignition sources present in and around the area of origin were examined and eliminated, with the cause of the fire determined to have been as a result of human action,'' according to a statement from State Fire administrator Floyd Madison.
Still unknown is whether the blaze resulted from an accident or arson.
State Police are continuing their investigation, which has been deemed "criminal" according to the fire office. The probe could encompass a charge of criminal negligence if it was accidental.
Rather than pinpointing the fire's cause, Wednesday's report looked at the whether the Riverview residential center in Wells, Hamilton County, which housed nine severely disabled residents, was in compliance with safety codes.
With a few exceptions, they were in compliance, but the report raises questions about the adequacy of the codes and of some features of the house, which was less than a year old.
The fire office conducted the survey at the request of Diana Jones-Ritter, commissioner of the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities which ran Riverview. Jones-Ritter has also convened a special panel to explore fire safety issues.
Officials concluded that the blaze, which started on the home's enclosed porch and rapidly worked its way to the attic, might have been better contained had there been a heavier-duty sprinkler system.
"The sprinkler system was overwhelmed," Madison said in an interview. He added it worked as designed.
Additionally, inspectors found the alarm system used at Riverview was programed in a way that the local fire department wasn't the first agency to be notified.
According to the contract between OMRDD and the alarm company, alarms were first reported back to the facility before the local fire department.
OMRDD officials couldn't be reached to explain the reasoning behind the sequence but it may have been to prevent firefighters from responding to false alarms.
OMRDD has acted to change the policy and Madison said he couldn't speculate if calling the fire department directly would have helped, due to the type of fire.
"It may not have made a difference," he said. "It's a difficult call."
The fire was so intense that firefighters quickly concluded they had to battle the blaze from outside because entering the home would have placed their lives in danger, Madison said.
Aiding the conflagration was the fact that the fire quickly made its way into the attic, where there were no sprinklers.
"The roof area collapsed. There were no sprinklers nor were they required to be in the attic area. The fire had a free opportunity to grow in intensity," Madison said.
The Times Union last month noted the type of sprinkler system installed at Riverview, is known as a "13D," is for residential structures and is lighter duty than a "13" rated sprinkler system which is typically used in institutional settings and which would include sprinklers in the attic.
Riverview was a residential-style, one-story building but fire safety experts questioned whether the facility should have had a "13" rated system given the inability of the residents there to evacuate the building by themselves.
The study also found that "The Fire Evacuation Plan for the Riverview IRA offered many statements that were contradictory, including when to use a fire extinguisher and when to begin evacuation."
Two staffers were on duty at the time of the fire.
From the Times-Union:
