On May 15, 2017, some insulation ignited from welding sparks on a sixth-floor balcony at the Seasons of Tuxedo residential building in Winnipeg, MB.
Billowing black smoke coming from the building indicated there would be extensive destruction, however, the damage was minimal and mainly to the exterior façade of the building.
Seasons of Tuxedo is near and dear to Fastwalls, as we supplied CFS wall panels for the building a year ago. We believe our panels contributed to the protection of the building from more extensive damage, and this is how:
OUR PANELS ARE MADE OF STEEL. Steel is a non-combustible building material. It does not burn, ignite, or provide a fuel source to spread a fire further. When the fire broke out at Seasons of Tuxedo, it had no opportunity to spread inside because the steel panels could not ignite.
Can you imagine if the structure had of been framed with wood, which is highly combustible? The results could have been catastrophic.
THE CLIENT HAD CHOSEN GLASS-MAT DRYWALL SHEATHING AS A VALUE ADDED COMPONENT ON OUR PANELS. By choosing to add glass-mat non-combustible drywall sheathing during prefabrication, the client proactively ensured that once the panels were installed, should an exterior fire occur the fire-resistant sheathing would delay the spread of fire to the interior of the building, allowing emergency responders the time required to successfully extinguish the blaze. The Seasons of Tuxedo fire proved this step is a very important decision to make.
We were thankful to hear that construction is expected to stay on schedule at Seasons of Tuxedo and most importantly, that there were no reports of injury as a result of the fire.
To us, this event reinforces the importance of choosing the right materials and researching what products will prevent and protect your building and its tenants from fire danger.