This article is only tangentially related to Mike Holmes, but I thought it was interesting. In Calgary, Canada, a condo complex caught on fire (try to say that 5x fast). Fortunately for the people who owned the units, the complex used a new and unique building material, PinkWood, to frame the townhouses. PinkWood is fire retardant, and creates an endothermic (heat absorbing/cooling) reaction when exposed to fire. The result? "'No homeowners lost their home,' says Ian Nash, vice-president for Brookfield Homes Alberta Housing. 'No one was injured. No homeowners were displaced.'”
As the article briefly states, Mike Holmes endorses PinkWood. It's a product he uses and vouches for.
See related Holmes Spot blog entries:
Treated wood seen as helping contain fire
By Claire Young, Calgary Herald
Firefighters investigate the aftermath of an early morning fire Sept. 16 at a condo complex under construction in McKenzie Towne. The fire started in Brookfield Homes' Mosaic Mirage, a townhome project totalling 286 units. Of the units burned, 14 had been sold. Changes to the building and fire codes may have helped contain the damage or spread of the fire. The company used PinkWood fire-retardant sheeting (click on the photo for our three-picture tour). Photograph by: Calgary Herald , Files
Brookfield Homes is working with 14 buyers whose units were damaged in a fire that burned three buildings and 22 units at a condo complex under construction in McKenzie Towne.
The three-alarm fire started early Sept. 16 in Brookfield Homes’ Mosaic Mirage, a townhome project totalling 286 units. Of the units burned, 14 had been sold.
“No homeowners lost their home,” says Ian Nash, vice-president for Brookfield Homes Alberta Housing. “No one was injured. No homeowners were displaced.”
Brookfield contacted all home purchasers by 6 a.m. last Sunday to apprise them of the fire.
The sales team individually called each buyer and is working with them on a case-by-case basis to decide “what is best for them,” says Nash.
“(Our purchasers) were so caring, so understanding, so considerate,” says Nash. “It really shows the human spirit and how people can come together in times of challenge.”
Investigators were recently on site. An estimate on the total cost of damage is being determined by the insurance adjusters.
“It’s going to be a while before we can compile that number,” says Nash.
Changes to the building and fire codes may have helped contain the damage or spread of the fire, the cause of which is under police investigation. “One of the new things that came into this latest fire code was the exterior fire-retardant sheeting. We used PinkWood there. It’s for protection during construction,” says Nash.
PinkWood is a Calgary-made coating for wooden building materials that provides protection from fire, mould, fungus and rot.
It is endorsed by TV celebrity renovator Mike Holmes.
“One of the other things that was in the old code as well was the drywall in between units,” says Nash.
“The assembly is a one-hour fire rated assembly — that’s once the units have been drywalled and taped. The three buildings (that burned) were at three different stages of construction, so they all performed differently.”
The exterior vinyl siding melted, which was to be expected, he says.
“People think it’s the last layer on the exterior of a building that provides protection, but vinyl, itself, shrinks and falls off. It’s the fire protection underneath it that achieves the rating.
“Vinyl is neither good nor bad. It’s just what we choose to put on the outside of some of our buildings. It’s the fire protection underneath, which is the PinkWood on the outside and inside the units, it’s the assembly with the drywall.”
Nash expressed the company’s appreciation to Calgary’s fire and police departments for their response during the incident.
“We’re a builder and we like to build homes,” he says. “The sooner we can wrap everything up and get back to business as usual, that’s what we want to do — and look after our purchasers first.”
Visit pinkwood.ca.
Pinkwood's fire mould and moisture resistant building material is impressive! A very important component for every home.
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