Many area homes built between 1920 and 1940 were likely created using balloon-frame construction, a type of construction that used two-by-four beams that reached from the basement to the attic and did not include fire breaks.
A fire break, also known as a fire stop, is a flame-retardant material placed within the walls to help contain a fire.
In constructing these balloon-frame homes, the walls often are left hollow from the basement to the attic, allowing fires to vent and spread rapidly from floor to floor.
'We're taught that (these fires) are more dangerous because the fire spreads a bit quicker,' said Vandergrift firefighter Ron Shaffer.
Although balloon-frame construction is believed to have originated in Chicago in 1833, it become prevalent locally as mining and mill communities developed.
Fire won't spread through a balloon-frame home as quickly as one does through a mobile home, but some officials said residents of balloon-framed homes might be more likely to die in a fire because they are unaware of how rapidly flames can spread through the structure.
'There are stories every year of people who try to put the fire out themselves. That happens very, very often,' said Robert Duval, senior fire investigator for the National Fire Protection Association, located in Quincy, Mass.
'People think they can put the fire out because it starts small, but it can spread very quickly. People don't have an appreciation for how rapidly that can happen.'
Linked to West Deer fires
Allegheny County Fire Marshal Bob Full said that might have been the case in the May 21 duplex fire that claimed the life of West Deer resident John Micklow.
'He may have attempted to fight the fire himself instead of immediately exiting the building,' Full said. 'There is some evidence that he may have stayed in there longer than he should have.'
Two of the three fatal fires since 1995 in West Deer occurred in homes built with balloon-frame construction, a common type for this community.
Some officials said it is unlikely that residents even knew the danger their homes pose.
According to Paul Reichenbach, public safety specialist with the Pennsylvania State Fire Commission, it is very difficult to tell if a person resides in a balloon-frame constructed home.
Although one of the signs is perfectly aligned windows following a stud, it is not an absolute and the only way to know for certain is to open the walls and look.
However, as many of the local communities were built to house miners and mill workers, it is likely that this type of construction was used, officials said.
'A lot of these homes are in communities that were built around local industry. You see them a lot in mill and mining communities,' Duval said. 'They're in areas where they had to build houses for workers and all their families and they had to do it quickly. This was an easy way to do it with the workers and the materials that they had at the time. They could put together an entire village in a matter of months.'
Locally, some of these houses are concentrated in areas such as Harmar, Vandergrift, Natrona, Russellton and West Deer.
'Three-fourths of my fire district are these older types of homes,' said West Deer Station No. 1 Fire Chief John Medred. 'When you get a fire in the basement, it can go straight to the attic.'
Some officials said an entire home can go up in flames within 20 minutes once the fire enters the walls of a balloon-frame structure.
'It does pose an inordinate safety hazard to fire-suppression people because they can quickly be surrounded by fire,' said Reichenbach. 'In a lot cases, if the fire has a lot of headway, it's a no-win situation for the fire-suppression personnel.'
What can you do?
Although some things can be done to protect residents of balloon-frame homes, the safety precautions can be costly.
'The first thing is to find out if your home is balloon-frame construction. If it is, you can open the walls and build in some kind of barrier to seal it off. Maybe seal the openings in the basement and put some type of fire block material in between the studs,' said Reichenbach. 'You can go into the attic and seal it off where the roof line connects to the top of the wall. That would give you some benefit, but it doesn't do anything for intermediate spaces. Even the wall outlets can provide a channel for fire and once it gets inside the walls, it will have fuel to burn.'
Greg Shurina, a general contractor and a volunteer firefighter in West Deer, said the most cost-efficient way to protect residents of a balloon-constructed home is to fill the hollow spaces with insulation.
He said he could drill a hole in the side of a home and fill the walls with insulation for about $4,000.
'Insulation would help,' he said. 'With it, you can contain the fire to one room.'
Shurina said residents remodeling should tear out the walls, replace them with plaster walls and install new electrical wiring as most fires are a result of faulty wiring.
Ed Naughton, assistant chief at Citizens Hose Company in Harrison, said there are easier, and less expensive, ways to preserve life and property.
'People should have multiple exit routes, plans to get out from the different floors,' he said. 'They should install safety ladders. Actually, that's good advice for any house.'
He said residents should call 911 from a cellular or cordless telephone or go to a neighbor's house to call.
Naughton emphasized that the residents should leave the home before calling.
Officials also recommended that residents change the batteries in smoke detectors when they change the clocks every spring and fall.
Michelle Start can be reached at mstart@tribweb.com .
