A fire that broke out at an Ostrom Avenue home last week may have spread more quickly because the house was built with balloon framing.

The fire occurred on the second floor of 773 Ostrom Ave. April 16 and spread to the attic. Since the house was originally built with balloon construction, there are void spaces that can allow fires to spread easily from floor to floor.

Balloon framing was a popular construction method used in homes from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, said Kevin Stack, owner of Northeast Green Building Consulting. In this style of framing, vertical studs in walls run continuously from the top of a building to the bottom. But wide spaces between studs create safety hazards.

“This framing method was used because of its ease of construction and availability of good lumber,” Stack said. “The method allowed many urban workers in America to build their own homes.”

Balloon framing is no longer used today, Stack said. It has been replaced by a style called platform framing, which eliminates the problem of void spaces that comes with balloon framing, he said.

Balloon framing is not native to the city of Syracuse, Stack said. Popularized in Chicago, this style of framing was used consistently throughout the Midwestern and Eastern regions of the United States, he said.

Capt. Tom Erwin of the Syracuse Fire Department said the vast majority of one- and two-family residences in Syracuse are balloon framed, and most of the older towns and villages in Onondaga County feature much of the same construction.

“If the dwelling doesn’t look like a relatively new piece of construction, you are going to assume right away it’s a balloon-framed home,” he said.

Other indicators to determine possible balloon frames come from the style of the house, Erwin said. Firefighters who frequently respond to fires in the area usually instantly recognize if the home is balloon-framed and take proper precautions.

 “The problem with balloon framing is that it creates a lot of open chase way,” Erwin said. “Anytime there are empty vertical spaces, there is an increased fire hazard.”

To put out fires in houses with balloon framing, firefighters often have to open up a huge exterior portion of the house, causing significant damage, he said.

Balloon framing was used in the apartment building fire at 701 University Ave. in 1978, where the Martin J. Whitman School of Management now stands. Four Syracuse firefighters died in the fire as they attempted to rescue people they thought were still trapped inside, said Syracuse Common Councilor At-Large Lance Denno, in an email. Denno is also a former deputy chief and firefighter for the city.

It’s important that a large number of firefighters get to the scene quickly when a balloon-framed house fire occurs, Denno said, because it is possible to have a fire in both the basement and attic simultaneously.

“Balloon-frame fires can be exceptionally dangerous,” Denno said, “and once the fire has a grip on the building, I would not continue an interior attack unless all persons were unaccounted for.”

Because many older homes were constructed using balloon framing, those who remodel houses must follow certain rules, Erwin said. This usually entails installing fire stops, or a piece of wood placed diagonally inside the frame to prevent air movement in case of a fire, he said.

“If you’re not doing anything to your home, there is nothing that requires you to install fire stops,” Erwin said. “If you go in and do a major remodeling of the house including opening up walls, then fire stops must be installed.”

Published on April 24, 2013 at 12:10 am

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