'Tall and skinny' homes change how Nashville crews fight fires

Natalie Neysa Alund | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Nashville Firefighters Battle Blaze at Collapsing House Nashville firefighters were fighting a house fire Tuesday night at a collapsing home on Pecan Street, located in North Nashville.

The call came in at 9:20 p.m. and by 9:24 p.m., when the Nashville Fire Department arrived, the North Nashville home was up in flames with no salvation in sight.

Fire investigators said the blaze, later deemed an arson, broke out in one of two "tall and skinny" homes under construction at 1729 Pecan St. That house style continues to pop up across Music City, often after an older one-story home has been demolished.

It took nearly four hours to battle last week's Buena Vista area house fire that spread to the home next door and sent billows of smoke into the air that could be seen for several miles. Despite crews' efforts, both homes were destroyed in the blaze. On Tuesday, the fire remained under investigation by the fire marshal and no arrest had been made.

The tall and skinny style is changing how Nashville crews fight fires because the homes present extra safety concerns, said fire department spokesman Joseph Pleasant.

The problem lies in their height — which can make using a ladder truck to deliver water a challenge — and how close they're built to one another.

"Because of the proximity of these houses to one another, exposure, or the danger of a fire spreading, is increased," Pleasant said. "Therefore, our firefighters have to work to not only fight the existing fire but use measures to protect surrounding property."

UPDATE: The fire on Pecan Street on Tuesday night remains under investigation. The cause right now is undetermined. pic.twitter.com/yu3S5E97QZ — Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) June 21, 2018

There is also a challenge when it comes to getting fire equipment close to some of the structures.

"The difficulty in getting apparatus close is because depending on the neighborhood layout, in particular cluster homes, our trucks and engines may not be able to get right up next to the home," Pleasant said. "It can also cause issues when deploying a ladder truck. The truck needs a certain amount of space to safely be raised and for our personnel to ascend and descend the ladder."

Pleasant said the supports used in residential construction make the floors prone to collapse quicker and easier, so crews are also learning how to be more aware of structural integrity.

"This is not a new issue relative to tall and skinny homes, but it is one we are concerned about when responding to a scene," Pleasant said.

Capt. Alfred Baltz, a 28-year veteran with the department, began researching the homes about one year ago and designed specialized fire training for them for the department.

Pleasant said the department doesn't track data on the number of tall and skinny fires as it doesn't classify houses like that internally.

Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.