The fire that claimed the lives of five people in Minneapolis this week happened in a public housing high-rise apartment — and it was built before sprinkler systems were required.

“There is a historical record of catastrophic results from fires in high-rise buildings that do not have sprinklers, and we certainly saw that tragedy unfold here several days ago,” said Tom Brace, National Fire Sprinkler Association’s coordinator of the Minnesota chapter, on Friday.

Five people died — they were 32-, 59-, 67-, 69- and 78-years-old — and three injured in the early Wednesday morning blaze at the Cedar High Apartments on Cedar Avenue off Interstate 94.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Minneapolis’ fire chief has said investigators believe it was an accident.

Why do some high-rise buildings have sprinklers and others don’t? And what discussions are underway about adding them?

MINNEAPOLIS APARTMENT BUILDING WASN’T REQUIRED TO HAVE SPRINKLERS

The apartment building’s main floor and lower mechanical rooms had partial sprinkler coverage but the rest of the building did not have a sprinkler system, according to Casper Hill, a city spokesman. The building was built in 1969 and wasn’t required to have a sprinkler system due to its age, said Minneapolis Public Housing Authority spokesman Jeff Horwich.

The Public Housing Authority’s draft 2020 plan states, “as building codes have evolved, we need to address increased life/safety requirements such as retrofitting our highrise buildings with sprinkler systems. MPHA has made infrastructure/building systems a priority and will target these types of improvements with its limited Capital Fund resources until major reinvestment opportunities materialize.”

ST. PAUL PUBLIC HOUSING HIGH-RISES HAVE SPRINKLERS

The St. Paul Public Housing Agency began installing sprinklers in high-rises in the late 1990s and completed the work in those 16 buildings by 2013, said Louise Seeba, PHA deputy executive director and general counsel. Between the sprinklers and the fire alarm systems being replaced, the cost was $8.3 million.

In 2012, the day after the sprinkler-system installation was completed at Ravoux Hi-Rise off Marion Street and St. Anthony Avenue, there were a kitchen fire, which one sprinkler extinguished, according to the PHA.

St. Paul’s public housing high-rises have an intercom system, which can be used by the fire department and building maintenance during emergencies.

MOST ST. PAUL HIGH-RISES ALSO COVERED

In St. Paul, there are 100 or so business or residential high-rise buildings — those are generally at least seven or eight stories high, said Angie Wiese, St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections fire safety manager.

Thirteen do not have sprinklers or have partial systems, and one of those is in the process of getting sprinklers, according to Wiese. The rest have sprinkler systems.

NO REQUIREMENT TO RETROFIT OLD BUILDINGS

The edition of Minnesota’s Uniform Building Code that went into effect in September 1980 was the first that required sprinkler protection in high-rise buildings, according to Jennifer Longaecker, spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal division.

Building code requirements apply to new buildings being constructed; these are not retroactive requirements that apply to existing buildings, Longaecker said. Buildings complying with the code in effect at the time of construction do not need to improve or upgrade fire protection features unless they remodel or change the type of occupancy in the building. Related Articles East-metro tiny house settlements for homeless face obstacles

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FEDERAL LEGISLATION WOULD OFFER INCENTIVE TO ADD SPRINKLERS

National Fire Sprinkler Association President Shane Ray said in a statement on Wednesday that fires like the one in Minneapolis “underscore the importance of fire sprinklers in high-rise residential buildings.” He pointed to the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, which Ray described as “federal legislation that could help us address this problem across America.”

The act would provide a tax incentive to building owners who retrofit their residential or office buildings with fire sprinklers, according to the National Fire Sprinkler Association.

FIRES ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS IN HIGH-RISES

Fires in high-rise buildings “are extremely challenging for occupants to not only escape, but to know what to do, in regards to exiting or staying in place,” the National Fire Sprinkler Association said in its statement Wednesday, adding that “high-rise fires are especially challenging to firefighters.”

There were an average of 40 deaths and 520 injuries in high-rise building fires per year between 2009 and 2013 in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Nationally, the civilian death rate of 1.4 per 1,000 reported fires was 81 percent lower from 2010 to 2014 in residences with sprinklers, including apartments, compared to residences that didn’t have them, said another report from the National Fire Protection Association.

HOW TO HELP

An online fundraiser has been established to assist the victims of the Minneapolis fire.