Thursday, May 28, 2015

NORFOLK FIRE MARSHAL: A WORKER FROM P.G. HARRIS CONSTRUCTION CO. DAMAGED THE ELECTRICAL LINE EARLIER ON THE DAY OF THE APRIL 17 EXPLOSION AT SELDEN ARCADE THAT CAUSED HEAVY DAMAGE..





MAY 28, 2015

NORFOLK, VA

The Fire Marshal’s Office on Wednesday identified the construction company that it says damaged an underground electrical line and led to the Selden Arcade explosion last month.

In a statement, the office reported that a worker from P.G. Harris Construction Co., based in Chesapeake, damaged the electrical line earlier on the day of the April 17 explosion.

The worker was finishing a repair to the arcade’s “drain line” that connects to the city’s sewer system, according to the statement.

A spokesman for Norfolk Fire-Rescue, Battalion Chief Julian Williamson, has previously reported that the damaged electrical line created a heat buildup, which led to the explosion.

Also on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Amanda Howie, said in an email that the office’s review of the investigation “finds that the matter is not criminal in nature.”

Fire-Rescue Chief Jeff Wise had previously reported that the explosion had been deemed accidental.

The explosion caused heavy damage throughout Selden Arcade, shattering glass, collapsing several interior walls and shifting an exterior wall.

Reached by phone last week, P.G. Harris’ president, Teresa Harris, said she didn’t want to comment because the situation was still under investigation.

“There’s not a final report from the fire marshal,” Harris said, referring questions to her attorney. “It’s a little premature for anybody to be making any comment.”

P.G. Harris’ attorney, Adam Casagrande, said he could not confirm or deny that his client had performed the work that led to the explosion because the investigation is not complete.

“It’s our understanding that there’s an ongoing investigation as to what caused the explosion, let alone who caused the explosion,” Casagrande said Wednesday. “And that has not been determined yet.”

He said that any work performed by P.G. Harris outside Selden “was performed at the instruction and under the supervision and direction of the city of Norfolk.”

The Fire Marshal’s Office news release Wednesday came as The Virginian-Pilot was preparing to publish an article – relying on documents obtained through a public records request – identifying P.G. Harris as the company involved.

In response to a records request seeking the identity of the vendor involved in the damage, the city provided a city contract, work orders and other documents about P.G. Harris.

But city spokeswoman Lori Crouch would not answer key questions about P.G. Harris’ involvement or the documents the city provided.

“Thank you but all we have to say at this time is what I provided already,” Crouch wrote in an email.

The city also refused to turn over correspondence between officials and the company about the explosion, as well as documents that detailed how the company caused the damage, on the grounds that the records were part of a criminal investigation.

When asked how the investigation could be criminal if the city had already ruled the explosion accidental, Crouch said “accidents and criminal conduct are not mutually exclusive.”

Howie said the city attorney’s office could pursue misdemeanor charges, such as violations of fire code.

The Pilot also requested records that revealed the specific job that the company was performing when the damage occurred.

The city provided records that show P.G. Harris had been hired for $278,000 to renovate some space in Selden Arcade to make way for a cafe associated with the Slover Library next door.

Casagrande, however, cast doubt that any work performed on April 17 was tied to that project.

Two work orders for Selden bistro renovation state that the work had to be complete by Dec. 12.

Casagrande confirmed that P.G. Harris’ work was finished before the Slover Library opened in early January.

Crouch would not answer questions on the timing.

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NORFOLK, VA

The Fire Marshal's Office has determined that an "air-gas" explosion at the Selden Arcade last month stemmed from a short in a damaged electrical line, Norfolk's fire-rescue department reported Monday.

Investigators have determined that a private company working for the city damaged the electrical line while trying to access a sewer line at the northeast corner of the arcade, Norfolk Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Julian Williamson said.
The damaged electrical lines created "very high heat conditions" that ultimately triggered the explosion, according to Williamson and a preliminary report on the Selden explosion investigation.

"We just had a buildup of heat and the conditions got right to where you had the explosion," Williamson said.

What investigators don't know yet is what caused the buildup of heat to ignite.
"That's what we're still trying to find out," Williamson said. "Lab samples are being looked at. Interviews are still being conducted."

Williamson, however, did say that there was no natural gas leak.

The damaged electrical lines provided power to Selden, and the central blast area inside the building was an electrical closet.

The damage caused to the electrical lines occurred April 17, the same day the explosion rocked the Selden, according to the report.

Several interior walls collapsed, an exterior wall cracked and shifted, and glass shattered. The explosion caused heavy damage throughout the building.

Williamson said the private company was not working on the sewer line in connection with the nearby hotel/conference center project, The Main.

He said he did not know the name of the private company, nor did he have any details about the specific sewer work being performed.

The city's spokeswoman, Lori Crouch, did not respond to questions about the company and the sewer work early Monday evening.

The d'Art Center in the arcade will remain closed for several months for repairs. D'Egg Diner and Starbucks reopened Friday using generator power.

A final report about the investigation is still several weeks away.

Source: pilotonline.com

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Office of the Fire Marshal

 
 
May 1, 2015

Selden Arcade Explosion Preliminary Report

The purpose of this document is to provide a preliminary report regarding the investigation of the April 17, 2015 explosion at the Norfolk Selden Arcade. The mission of this investigation is to determine what happened and why
it happened.

On April 17, 2015 at 8:01 pm Norfolk Fire-Rescue (NFR) units were dispatched to the Selden Arcade for a report of an explosion. Less than 3 minutes later the first fire truck arrived, established command and began to investigate
the reported incident. Initial decisions were made based on the protection of Life; Property and the Environment.

Within the first minutes of the event, NFR investigators from the Norfolk Fire Marshal?s Office (FMO) were on-scene and started their incident investigation.

Investigative Information to Date:

0 No signs of a malicious attack on the Selden Arcade have been discovered.

- On Friday April 17, 2015 a worker from a private company was attempting to access a sewer line at the North East corner of the Selden Arcade. The investigation has identified damage to electrical lines at this
work site that provided power to the Selden Arcade.

0 Evidence reveals that an electrical short in the area of the damaged line created very high heat conditions that can be associated with the damaged electrical line.

0 Electrical power to the Selden Arcade remained on up to the time ofthe explosion.  The central blast area was located in the electrical closet at the Selden Arcade.

0 This explosion was an air-gas type of explosion and not an explosion due to an explosive device.

0 The origin point of the electrical failure is located outside at the North East corner of the Selden Arcade.  This is the area where the worker was attempting to access the sewer line.

0 Due to the blast, fire protection systems were damaged and are in the process of being restored.

The investigation will continue until all facts regarding this explosion are gathered and understood. The FMO has been in contact per protocol, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF). A final investigative report will be completed as soon as practical.

Reviewed by:



Sub dby:
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Roger T. B?u-rlis ?Jeffrey F. Wise
Norfolk Fire Marshal Norfolk Fire Chief

     



100 Brooke Avenue, Suite 400, Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 664?6604 Fax (757) 441-2537