Two boys died in a fast-moving blaze that trapped them on the third floor of their Sorrell Street home in Marshall-Shadeland, PA

Marshall-Shadeland fire claims lives of 2 brothers July 25, 2016 5:59 PM
 



Andrew Goldstein/Post-Gazette
A makeshift memorial outside the house in Marshall-Shadeland where two boys died in a fire.






By Torsten Ove and Finnegan Schick / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


As flames roared and smoke billowed from a Marshall-Shadeland home Monday morning, neighbors and passers-by scrambled to get a family with several young children out of the residence before it was too late.

Some tried kicking in the locked front door. Others tried smashing through the back door. Even once they got in, the intense heat and thick smoke turned them away.

“It was pitch black, smoky,” said neighbor David Jones, 19, who went in through the back door but couldn’t get far. “You couldn’t see anything. I could barely make it through the kitchen.”

Despite their efforts, two boys, identified as brothers Dylan, 7, and Nicholas Taylor, 12, died in the fast-moving blaze that trapped them on the third floor of their Sorrell Street home. Their mother, identified by neighbors as Jennifer Taylor, 38, and 6-year-old brother survived after she grabbed the boy and jumped out of a second-story window, authorities said. They were being treated at UPMC Mercy.

Outside the hospital, an emotional scene unfolded Monday afternoon as family members consoled each other and tried to come to grips with the loss.

Raymond Taylor, the boys’ father, grieved outside the emergency room. In shouts and tears, Mr. Taylor tried to explain the situation to his other children. He called Dylan and Nicholas his “angels.”

Ebony Pugh, spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Public Schools, said the district was notified that Dylan and Nicholas had died.

Dylan had been a first-grader at Whittier K-5 in Duquesne Heights. Nicholas was a sixth-grader at Pittsburgh South Hills 6-8 in Beechview.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this time,” Ms. Pugh said, adding that the district hoped for a speedy recovery for the Taylors’ injured relatives.

The cause of the fire was being investigated by the city arson squad.

Firefighters received the first call for the blaze at 10:25 a.m. on Sorrell Street.

But before they arrived, neighbors and passers-by saw the smoke and got to work.

Two brothers from Mt. Lebanon, Bronson and Colton Zoller, said they were driving to visit a friend when they saw the blaze. They said they pulled a U-turn and ran to the house.

Bronson, 19, said the front door was locked. They tried to get in through the back, couldn’t and returned to the front. By then, they said, someone had kicked in the front door. The brothers said they ran inside but were unable to see anything or do much to help because of the smoke and flames were too intense.

Describing the scene to the media, Bronson said, “I can’t breathe. I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”

After hours at the scene in 90-degree heat, exhausted firefighters finally took down their tape and cleared the street. Two firefighters were injured; one was treated for heat exhaustion and another hurt his shoulder.

Overall, it was a taxing day for firefighters.

“It was a very sad day,” said Shamus Cringle, a battalion chief with the city’s bureau of fire, one of the 40-plus firefighters who responded to the scene. “You just have to do your job. We all deal with it in different ways. It isn’t easy.”

As firefighters packed their gear and rolled away, one neighbor walked up to them and said quietly, “Thank you. Thank you for all you do.”

A makeshift memorial composed of stuffed animals and flowers had appeared on the sidewalk in front of the residence by Monday evening.

Neighbor Jane Griffiths stopped by to take a look at the burned-out home around 8 p.m. She said her grandchildren had often played with the Taylor boys who died in the fire.

“They’d ride bikes. They’d come in my daughter’s yard and play on the swings, play backyard basketball,” she said. “[My grandsons] were so excited because there were boys in the neighborhood to play with.”

Post-Gazette reporters Jonathan D. Silver, Anthony Conroy and Andrew Goldstein contributed to this story. Torsten Ove: tove@post-gazette.com. Finnegan Schick: fschick@post-gazette.com.


First Published July 25, 2016 11:21 AM

Construction worker killed by electric shock while working inside an electric manhole in Rose Haven, MD

Courtesy of Kevin Ryer

Lauren LoricchioContact Reporterlloricchio@capgaznews.com

Construction worker killed by electric shock in Rose Haven


A construction worker was electrocuted Wednesday morning while working in a manhole in Rose Haven, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said.

The man was estimated to be in 40s, though his identity was not released.

Firefighters were called shortly after 9:50 a.m. to the 7100 block of Lake Shore Drive for a report of a worker who had been electrocuted in a manhole, said county fire department spokesman Capt. Russ Davies.

The worker had been removed from the manhole before firefighters arrived and was in cardiac arrest, Davies said.

He was declared dead after unsuccessful attempts were made to resuscitate him, he said.

The incident is under investigation by the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates workplace accidents.

 
An agency spokeswoman said she could not provide any additional information until the investigation is complete.

Daryl Gordon's death: A series of mistakes by Cincinnati firefighters contributed to the growth of a March 2015 fire, which caused heavy smoke and poor visibility for rescuers searching the building

Feds: Firefighter mistakes contributed to Daryl Gordon's death
 Jeremy Fugleberg, jfugleberg@enquirer.com 6:25 p.m. EDT July 26, 2016

The fire grew, causing heavy smoke and poor visibility for Gordon and other rescuers.


A series of mistakes by Cincinnati firefighters contributed to the growth of a March 2015 fire, which caused heavy smoke and poor visibility for rescuers searching the building, indicated a federal investigation released today.

One of those firefighters, Daryl Gordon, fell to his death when he stepped into an elevator shaft.

The investigation by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, largely agrees with an investigation released in late June by the Cincinnati Fire Department, and its recommendations.

Both reports conclude that Gordon died on March 26 because he walked through a malfunctioning elevator door that should have been locked. But the reports also highlight mistakes and oversights by CFD personnel.

"Things start going wrong. It's how you stop that snowball effect, where things keep going wrong, that prevents bad things from happening," Gregory Potter, CFD's district chief for training told The Enquirer. "At this fire, little things just kept mounting up."

Firefighters failed to quickly contain the fire; it grew and filled the five-story Madisonville apartment building with smoke. The smoke reduced visibility for rescuers, including Gordon, as they searched the building.

On an order from a superior, firefighters broke the glass patio door of the apartment where the fire started, letting in air which in turn fed the fire, both reports state.

“The fire growth could have been delayed if the patio door had remained intact as the fire would have reached a ventilation limited state,” the NIOSH report stated.

Neither report explains why the patio door was knocked out. But Potter said firefighters on the scene were following an old theory that recommends breaking out the windows to vent gasses from the building before firefighters enter to fight the fire.

Early-arriving firefighters caught a hose on a stairwell, which limited its reach. They didn’t spray down a smoke-filled hallway to cool it and limit the fire’s growth -- again, a move not in line with updated firefighting practices, Potter said.

They then retreated from the building after a second also-short hose bucked, knocking off a firefighter’s helmet in the increasingly hot, smoky hallway.

"What happened here was they took it out but they weren't ready to put water on the fire so the fire got bigger and hotter faster," Potter said. "In theory, what you want to do is coordinate those things."

More than 20 minutes after arriving at the apartment building, firefighters had yet to spray a drop of water inside the building, according to the CFD report.

“This delay in getting water onto the fire contributed to the smoke conditions on all floors of the five-story apartment building,” the NIOSH report concluded.

When Gordon opened a door to the elevator shaft and fell, visibility was down to 5 feet or less, the report stated.

The fire started when an apartment resident fell asleep with food on the stove in an apartment with no working smoke detector. The building has no sprinkler system.

Gordon was the first on-duty fatality for CFD since firefighter Oscar Armstrong III died fighting a fire in March 2003. Gordon was married, with two children.

Both the CFD and NIOSH highlighted a raft of communication problems and other coordination and training issues that demanded improvement. In their investigation report released earlier this month, CFD officials pledged to rectify 44 problems they had identified.

"It's hard for the guys. We're critical on ourselves to a fault" with the goal of getting better, Potter said.

As is standard practice among fire departments, the NIOSH report will be circulated so other departments can learn from it.

Matt Alter, president of the Cincinnati Firefighters Union Local 48, said the firefighters will take the two reports and learn the most they can from them. But he noted the department faced staffing brownouts in recent years and has a small training staff, factors that led to a "fallout effect" of lagged training for both veterans and recruits alike.

"Here at Local 48, we look at that and say we have to do whatever we can in our power to make sure the tragic events of March 26, 2015, are never repeated," he said. "If that means having enough people on the truck to make sure that we can keep citizens as safe as possible, and the firefighters as safe as possible, then that's what has to be done."

The driver killed when his Tesla sedan crashed while in self-driving mode was traveling at 9 mph above the speed limit just before hitting the side of a tractor-trailer

FILE: Tesla Model S is on display on the first press day of the Frankfurt Auto Show IAA in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Tuesday, July 26, 2016 04:30PM
WASHINGTON -- The driver killed when his Tesla sedan crashed while in self-driving mode was traveling at 9 mph above the speed limit just before hitting the side of a tractor-trailer, federal accident investigators said Tuesday.

Data downloaded from the Tesla Model S shows the vehicle was traveling at 74 mph in a 65-mph zone on a divided highway in Williston, Florida, near Gainesville, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report.

The driver, Joshua Brown, 40, a tech company owner from Canton, Ohio, was using the sedan's cruise control and lane-keeping features at the time, the report said. Those features are part of the vehicle's Autopilot self-driving system, but the NTSB report doesn't mention the system.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is also investigating the crash, has previously said the Autopilot was engaged.

The Tesla's roof struck the underside of the truck's 53-foot semitrailer at a 90-degree angle, shearing off the sedan's roof before it emerged on the other side of the trailer, according to the report. The truck was making a left turn at the time.

The sedan is equipped with automatic emergency braking. Tesla and NHTSA have previously said the Autopilot was unable to distinguish the white side of the truck from the brightly lit sky and there was no attempt to brake by either the self-driving system or Brown.

Driver killed after a Farmer's propane tank rolled over and crashed in Hart County, KY

HART COUNTY, Ky. (WBKO) -- A truck driver is killed when his tanker slides off the road. It happened at 8:39 a.m. Tuesday on Kentucky 569 in Hart County.


Propane Truck Fatal in Hart County

Kentucky State Police say 24-year-old Joseph Carter from Cave City was driving a Farmer's propane tank truck down a steep hill and failed to make the curve at the foot of the hill. The truck overturned, skidded off the road, and hit a tree.

The initial call to KSP said the tank was leaking and the driver was trapped inside. But that's not what troopers found when they got there.

"Upon our arrival we determined that the driver was deceased as a result of the collision," said Trooper Jonathan McChesney. "The propane tank was not leaking. And at that point the scene was made safe."

Trooper McChesney says Carter's body will be taken to the medical examiner's office in Louisville for an autopsy.

a Tennessee Department of Transportation worker was killed by car while flagging traffic in West TN

(Photo: MARANDA FARIS/The Jackson Sun)

TDOT worker killed in Alamo ID'd
Maranda Faris, The Jackson Sun 7:49 p.m. CDT July 27, 2016



ALAMO, TN — James "Pee Wee" Hopkins was killed Wednesday after he was hit by a car while working road repairs with the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

TDOT identified Hopkins as an operations technician who had been with the department since 1996. He is the second TDOT worker killed in the line of duty this year, according to TDOT.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Cary Hopkins said James Hopkins was hit by a car coming through the construction area where crews were working to level "high spots" on the road. James Hopkins was directing traffic, acting as a flagman for the work crews, where the road had been shut down from a two-lane to one-lane roadway.

Hopkins said the wreck is still under investigation. The wreck was reported between 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Highway 88 at the intersection of U.S. 412, near Alamo.

"TDOT was doing some road maintenance out here and had the road down to one lane," Lt. Hopkins said. "Basically, they had a flagman out stopping traffic because it was down to one lane and we had a car that failed to yield, and hit the TDOT worker."

The name of the driver has not been released, but Lt. Hopkins said it was likely charges would be filed against the driver of the four-door Cadillac that hit James Hopkins.


The exit ramp, between Maury City and Alamo, was shut down while THP troopers and TDOT crews worked to clear the wreck.

Nichole Lawrence, spokesperson for the West Tennessee division of TDOT, said the work being done on the roadway was routine maintenance.

"We had crews out here in Crockett County doing some routine maintenance. They had a lane shut down, and our flagman was unfortunately struck and killed this morning," Lawrence said. "There's areas in our pavements that get little bumps in them, and we randomly go out and mill those up and sweep up the debris and clean those up. That's why we had the lane closure."

Lawrence said crews started work earlier in the day on Highway 54 and were working their way down the highway between Maury City and Alamo to smooth out the bumps in the roadway.

As crews finished clearing the wreck around 2 p.m., Lawrence asked for prayers, both for James Hopkins' family and for the TDOT workers who knew him.

"There's going to be lots of prayers said for this, and for (Hopkins') family, and his TDOT family as well," she said. "It's a good time to remind motorists, and we remind them all the time, this is a dangerous job. Please watch for us. We wear our vests and hardhats. Those flagmen are out there to tell you to stop or slow down for a reason."

Lt. Hopkins said wrecks involving road crews are not typical.

"You had a good line of sight," he said. "I don't know what factors played a role in him not being able to see the TDOT worker."

TDOT released a statement Wednesday afternoon identifying James Hopkins, an employee who had been promoted from a highway maintenance worker in 2005, and again in 2014 to operations technician. He is the 111th TDOT worker killed since 1948, according to the release.

"We lost one of our own today, and it breaks your heart for the family and for the TDOT family across the state," Gov. Bill Haslam said in the release.

Counselors will be available for employees in the West Tennessee region and across the state as needed, the release said.



======================



TDOT worker killed while flagging traffic in West TN Posted: Jul 27, 2016 5:08 PM EST Updated: Jul 27, 2016 5:08 PM EST
Posted by Stuart Ervin









NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -

Officials said a Tennessee Department of Transportation worker was killed on the job Wednesday in West Tennessee.

James Hopkins, an operations technician, was flagging traffic around a maintenance crew along State Route 54 in Crockett County when he was hit by a vehicle.

Hopkins, 63, had worked with TDOT since 1996.

No other workers were hurt. TDOT officials said the crash remains under investigation.

This is the second time a TDOT worker has been killed on the job this year.

In April, David Younger was hit by a semi-truck while he was on the side of the road in Hickman County.

Copyright 2016 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

A trench collapsed Monday morning in Minnetonka, MN killing one worker with Dave Perkins Contracting Inc. and injuring another

Collapsed Minnetonka trench was dug by company with past violation
National Affairs Matt Sepic · Jul 26, 2016


Updated: 3:10 p.m. | Posted: 6:33 a.m.

The company that dug a trench that collapsed Monday morning in Minnetonka, killing one worker and injuring another, paid a fine for a trench safety violation nearly six years ago.

One of the men was unresponsive when firefighters extracted him, Minnetonka Fire Chief John Vance said. The other worker was buried up to his waist and was able to climb out once rescuers dug out the soil around him.

According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, Jimmy Scott Klous, 48, of Onamia, died just after 11 a.m. Monday, less an hour after firefighters pulled him from the trench.

Vance said the men were working about 12 to 15 feet below ground in a space that was approximately 6 feet wide. They were not using a trench box, a four-sided rectangular steel enclosure meant to protect against collapse, Vance said.

"It seemed like the soil they were working in was muddy soil and the area that sloughed in on the workers was certainly the wet or muddy soil," Vance said.

He said the 911 call came in at 10:01 a.m.

"We were on the scene within five minutes. And by 10:24, both victims were out of the trench."

Minnetonka city spokesperson Kari Spreeman said Dave Perkins Contracting was responsible for the trench, which the company's workers dug to access water and sewer lines as part of a major utility overhaul on Oakland Road.

The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.

Records from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, which enforces workplace safety laws, show the company paid a fine of $1,050 for a trench safety violation in 2010.

The company, which declined comment on Monday's incident, was hired to repair a water line at a home in Mounds View that year. State occupational safety and health inspectors said an employee was exposed to "potential cave-in hazards" at the bottom of a trench that was 5 feet 9 inches deep and just over 9 feet across at the top.

Inspectors said the trench should have been nearly 22 feet across to allow for adequate sloping. According to the DLI documents, inspectors found a trench box at the job site, but it was not in use.



==================


Worker buried when trench collapsed in Minnetonka has died

By Tim Harlow Star Tribune
July 26, 2016 — 10:35pm


 Mark Vancleave Two construction workers were hurt, and one of them later died, when a trench they were digging in Minnetonka collapsed on Monday.


One of the two construction workers trapped when a trench they were digging collapsed Monday morning in Minnetonka has died, the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office said.

Jimmy Scott Klous, 48, of Onamia, Minn., was working on the 1900 block of Oakland Road when the dirt gave way around 10 a.m.



Scott was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died about an hour later. The cause of death was still under investigation, the medical examiner said.

Klous and another man identified as Tory Swan, were working for Dave Perkins Contracting Inc., doing prep work ahead of a city project to replace an aging storm and sanitary sewer system and make other roadway improvements.

Klous was completely covered by dirt for about 20 minutes and was unresponsive when responders reached him. Swan was buried up to his waist.

Minnetonka police and officials from the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.

According to state records, Dave Perkins Contracting Inc. was cited for a previous “serious violation” in 2010.

The company was fined for exposing an employee to “cave-in hazards while working in an excavation that was greater than 5 feet deep without an effective protection system,” the complaint said.

A landscaper died of heat exposure during tree-trimming operations near Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Heat-related death reminds employers to be cautious with workers
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
By Bridget Brown ~ Southeast Missourian

A landscaper from Dexter, Missouri, recently died of heat exposure during tree-trimming operations near Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor, the 23-year-old man had a core temperature of 108 degrees after working a full day Friday. He started his shift about 7 a.m. At 4:30 p.m., he became overheated, when the heat index reached about 110 degrees. The man died the next day.

In the news release, Bill McDonald, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration area director in St. Louis, called the death "tragic and preventable."

"Working in full sunlight can increase heat index values by 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Employers must keep this in mind and plan additional precautions for working in these conditions," McDonald said in the release.

Many Southeast Missouri employers are well aware of the dangers of working in extreme summer heat. The city of Cape Girardeau frequently has workers toiling outside over the summer. The city is preparing to set new railroad tracks along the floodwall in downtown.

Stan Polivick, assistant public works director, said he encourages those working on city projects to be mindful of their well-being throughout the day and take breaks as needed.

But the most important thing is to stay hydrated, he said.

"We tell them to start tonight for tomorrow," Polivick said, noting workers should not just drink water or sports drinks throughout the day, but should begin hydrating the night before when they know they will be exposed to heat.

He also encourages workers to reduce drinking beer the night before a hot day, as it adds to dehydration.

Polivick said his workers are encouraged to stop when overwhelmed, even if it means shutting down operations briefly. They also are encouraged to work in groups.

"Crew leaders are reminded to look out for each other," Polivick said, and "no one works alone."

"We take heat this time of year very seriously," Phil Penzel, owner of Penzel Construction, said in an email. "Providing water is great, but an individual will need to drink a lot as much as every 15 minutes or less."

Penzel offers his workers water and Gatorade and encourages them to alternate between them.

Penzel said his workers are trained to recognize the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Though he has never had an incident of heat stroke on the job, exhaustion has been an issue.

"My best advice is pay attention to the warning signs and get plenty of fluids," Penzel wrote.

Steps to prevent heat illness include drinking water every 15 minutes, even if you are not thirsty, resting in the shade to cool down

Beating the heat could save your life; heat-related injuries, deaths mount around the country


“Whether you’re a parent, caregiver or bystander of a child left in a car, it’s vitally important to understand children are more vulnerable to heat stroke than adults,” the National Traffic and Highway Administration reported. “Always check the back seats of your vehicle before your lock it and walk away.”

Keeping a stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder of having a child in the back seat is also a good habit to get into, the NTHA said.

Outside workers, older adults, disabled people and males in general are also at higher risk, according to the CDC. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) encouraged employees whose jobs are outdoors to take extra measures to evade overheating.

“Steps to prevent heat illness include … drinking water every 15 minutes, even if you are not thirsty, resting in the shade to cool down, and getting used to heat with an ‘easy does it’ approach on the first days of work during hot spells,” wrote Rhonda Burke, an OSHA public affairs specialist.

In light of the high temperatures across the nation, even President Obama advised all Americans to take a break from the sun last Wednesday.

“Stay safe as it heats up: Drink water, stay out of the sun, and check on your neighbors,” Mr. Obama tweeted just a few days before temperatures in Washington, D.C., rose to a record-breaking 100 degrees.

The National Weather Service also issued a public service announcement detailing the differences between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion is less dangerous; excessive sweating and feeling faint are warning signs to get in the air conditioning and cool off. Muscle cramps, nausea and a throbbing headache could be signs of a heat stroke, in which calling 911 is the best course of action.

However, one of the biggest myths is that sweating indicates heat stroke isn’t happening, OSHA said.

“You can be sweating and still have heat stroke. A common symptom of heat stroke is mental changes, such as confusion or irritability,” Ms. Burke wrote.

The chances of being affected by the heat go up even more when there’s nowhere to stay in the shade.

“Remember that working in full sunlight, as the Missouri landscaper was doing, can increase heat index values by 15 degrees Fahrenheit. So that means if the temperature is 95 degrees, it will feel like 110 in direct sunlight,” Ms. Burke wrote.

The heat advisories issued Tuesday for much of the east coast are expected to persist until at least August, said Mike Smith, the senior vice president at AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions.

“It’s going to heat up more in the west, by that I mean from Colorado all the way to California. They are going to have extraordinarily hot weather. Temperatures in the east are going to ease a little bit, not a lot.”

The record-breaking temperatures seem to point to climate change. However, though it’s still sweltering in places like the District of Columbia, Mr. Smith said that global warming isn’t at fault.

“Most of the metrics actually show global temperatures cooling…I think global warming connections to every bit of weather is a futile request,” Mr. Smith said.

a dozen D.C. residents were displaced after a 2-alarm fire tore through their three-story building

3 firefighters injured fighting massive 2-alarm fire in downtown D.C.
By Tim Barber/ABC7 Tuesday, July 26th 2016



WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Tuesday night a dozen D.C. residents were displaced after a fire tore through their three-story building.

The fire started just before 4 p.m. on the 1300 block of 12th Street in Northwest Washington.

It was so close to Andrew Pingle’s roof that he ran for his garden hose to protect his building.


"One little tiny spark on a dry hot rough. It doesn't take too much," said Pingle.

The blaze consumed a newly installed deck on the roof of the building that caught fire, but D.C. Fire Rescue has not determined where or how the fire started.

The three-story building had eight apartments.

Tuesday evening its’ 12 residents loaded onto a bus so the Red Cross could help them find another place to stay.

Two firefighters had to be treated for heat-related injuries, and a third for a sprained ankle.


A dog was burned during the fire and was treated, but ABC7 was not given another update on the dog’s condition.

Pingle is just glad the firefighters moved faster than the flames and stopped the fire could cause severe damage to other building.

"It made me feel really comfortable that these guys were on top of it that quickly and did that good of a job breaking down that fire," said Pingle.

About Deteriorating Concrete Foundations in Connecticut

 

About Deteriorating Concrete Foundations in Connecticut

Background on Crumbing Concrete Foundation in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is here to provide homeowners with information about resources that can help determine if their concrete foundation is damaged, and help find potential options for repair. In July of 2015, Governor Malloy called on the Department of Consumer Protection and the Office of the Attorney General to conduct an investigation into deteriorating foundations. The Insurance Department, Department of Banking, Department of Administrative Services, and the Department of Housing along with state, municipal and federal officials have been collaborating with DCP's investigative team since July to provide resources to homeowners.

Cracks may take ten or more years after the foundation is poured to develop. Many of the homes with damage were built in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Looking for more information? We have two informational brochures out you can feel free to distribute and use for your own reference. 

• Concrete Foundations: Information and Quick Facts
• Crumbling Concrete Foundations: What you can do if you think your Home may be Affected

Press Releases

November, 2015: Update on Concrete Foundations Investigation

May, 2016: Department of Consumer Protection Applauds Legislature

May, 2016: Two Eastern Conn. Companies Reach Agreement with State

July, 2016: State Officials Respond to Attorney General's Decision on Concrete Foundations

What you can do if you Believe your Home is Affected

You may wish to talk with a professional engineer about testing the concrete in your home for damage, and their recommended next steps for repair.

You can verify that your professional engineer is licensed, and your home improvement contractor is registered at www.elicense.ct.gov.

During conversations with experts about potential damage to your foundation, make sure you reference cracks in your foundation walls and floor individually. This will help the experts provide you with an adequate recommendation for repair.

If you have other questions or need support, please contact the Department of Consumer Protection at dcp.concrete@ct.gov. 

You may also call the Insurance Department with insurance related questions or complaints specific to your policy with the information below under "Insurance Related Questions or Complaints."

How to File a Complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection

If you have reason to believe your home's foundation is deteriorating due to potentially faulty concrete, you may wish to file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection by completing and returning this complaint form through mail or email.

When you fill out your complaint form, it's important to have as much information as possible about your home. You may also wish to include pictures, or other evidence from your foundation to show the issues you may have.

If you don't have answers to all questions on the form, fill out the form as completely as you can, and submit it. It's okay if you need to leave something blank. We ask a lot of questions on this form because the more evidence and information we have that can contribute to the on-going investigation, the better.

What to do if you have Insurance Related Questions or Complaints

October, 2015: Notice from the Insurance Department regarding cancellations and renewals

The above notice informs insurance companies that they cannot cancel or non-renew a homeowner's policy due to a crumbling foundation. If you believe this has happened to you, you should file a complaint with the Insurance Department.

The Insurance Department is also advising homeowners to read their policies, particularly the section titles "Duties After Loss." That section explains the process that a policy holder needs to follow when notifying his or her insurance company of any damage or a loss. The homeowner's policy also provides information on the timeframe a policyholder has to file a lawsuit against the company should he or she choose to do so.

Residents are encouraged to email individual insurance related questions to cid.ca@ct.gov, or call the Insurance Department at 800-203-3447. 

The Latest Update from our Investigation Team

June 7th, 2016: The Office of the Attorney General issued this Letter to Governor Malloy and Commissioner Harris

The state has hired a civil engineer whose area of expertise is concrete. Our expert and his team have started taking core samples from crumbling foundations in Eastern Connecticut and are testing and analyzing them to determine the cause of the deterioration and help determine how many homeowners are impacted. We have determined through our investigation that pyrrhotite is a factor in crumbling foundations, and our investigation continues to search for other conditions that contribute to deteriorating foundations. We expect our investigation to conclude in the fall of 2016.

As part of our investigation, representatives from our agencies have spoken with hundreds people, including homeowners, contractors, engineers, and other industry experts, to gather information and to further our understanding of the scope of the concrete problems.  

The Department of Consumer Protection has issued 29 subpoenas to insurance companies with the goal of obtaining any information to support our investigation. At this time, the inquiry of the insurance companies is not directed at them as parties of interest, but rather is intended for information-gathering purposes.

Home Purchases and Inspections

The Department of Consumer Protection issued an advisory to home inspectors in August of 2015 that reminds inspectors what they need to examine in a home inspection, and discusses signs of crumbling foundations. That advisory can be found here. A follow up advisory was sent in March of 2016.

If you are purchasing a home, make sure that the owner you are purchasing the home from has filled out this Residential Property Condition Disclosure Report completely.

Beware of Scams

Make sure you're using a registered and reputable contractor. Anyone contacted by a contractor offering to repair or replace faulty concrete should be wary of possible scams.  Read more here.

DISASTER: Basement walls and foundations are crumbling across a section of eastern Connecticut due to bad concrete

Unhappy homeowners pack crumbling foundations meeting


Updated: 9:21 am, Mon Jul 25, 2016.

By Anthony Branciforte





SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Residents of South Windsor and the surrounding area on Thursday expressed their frustration, desperation, and disappointment that the state cannot force insurance or concrete companies to help them with crumbling foundations.

Attorney General George Jepsen said last week the state has no legal authority to compel insurance companies or J.J. Mottes Co., the Stafford concrete company at the center of the ongoing crumbling foundations problem, to aid residents.

He was in attendance at Thursday night’s meeting of the Connecticut Coalition Against Crumbling Basements, a group formed to address the widespread problem of crumbling foundations throughout the state.

Jespsen told the group of affected homeowners who packed South Windsor’s council chambers there is no basis to file a successful claim and that it would be unethical for him to pursue a case he did not believe his office could win.

“We have to be able to prove things in court,” Jepsen said. “Anecdotal evidence isn’t enough.”

Deputy Attorney General Perry Zinn-Rowthorn reconfirmed that pyrrhotite, a mineral found in the concrete poured by J.J. Mottes, is likely to blame for the crumbling foundations.

“Preliminary conclusions are that pyrrhotite is the common denominator in these foundation failures,” he said.

However, this is also the reason legal action by the state is not an option.

“To this day, nowhere in the United States is there a building standard, a regulation, a statute that limits how much pyrrhotite” can be in concrete, Zinn-Rowthorn said.

In May, the J.J. Mottes voluntarily agreed to not sell aggregate from Becker's Quarry for use in the installation of residential concrete foundations. The attorney general’s office also recommended the Connecticut General Assembly consider enacting a standard restricting pyrrhotite in concrete.

Jepsen said Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade is in the preliminary stages of obtaining information about private settlements between homeowners and insurance companies concerning this issue.

However, given the apparently devastating financial consequences of the failing foundations throughout South Windsor and several other towns, the main focus of the coalition is to provide financial relief to homeowners.

The plan that has been fielded in the past several weeks is to establish a program in which insurance companies in the state would provide a combined $52 million in funds for repairs. So far, only Travelers and The Hartford have stepped forward.

“One of the things we’re telling everybody, public officials and citizens, is that insurance companies ought to be hearing from the people urging them to participate in a program,” Zinn-Rowthorn said.

However, even if the fund were established, residents would need to submit an application before insurance companies would send someone to evaluate their concrete. If skeptical, the company would then test the pyrrhotite levels in the concrete before eligibility for funds was established.

Zinn-Rowthorn said “concern and uncertainty about how many homes are affected” is a serious issue.

Given that many of the affected homes will be uninhabitable in six months to a year, these answers garnered some pushback from Mayor Thomas Delnicki and Sen. Timothy Larson, D-East Hartford.

“I think the insurance companies need to step up to the plate,” Delnicki said. “A lot of pressure needs to be put on them. I believe the banks have a huge part in this as well.”

While Delnicki emphasized that more people need to come forward and pressure their insurance companies, Larson said more people would come forward if a solution were already established.

“You folks are looking for a remedy, and I think it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that we can formulate some sort of strategy that allows you to come forward and get your properties fixed,” Larson said. “The banks have not been at the table, and part of the consternation of you not coming forward is the minute you identify your house is delinquent and the bank steps in on this because they have to, it could be just cataclysmic for people.

Larson garnered loud applause after finishing his remarks.

While many homeowners expressed appreciation for the Town of South Windsor’s efforts on the issue in comparison with other affected towns, they, too, were unsatisfied with the options presented.

South Windsor resident Brian McAndrew, 51, delivered his public comments while holding back tears.

“Personally, it’s financially devastating to me,” he said, noting that he is putting two children through college. “To suggest that an individual approach their insurance company personally is a bit perplexing to me.”

While the insurance commissioner has guaranteed that homeowners with crumbling foundations cannot be legally dropped from their policies for that reason, McAndrew was still concerned.

“There are a lot of ways not to renew someone other than a foundation that’s not covered,” he said. “My fear would be if I expose myself to that insurance company suddenly they’re going to look for something that could cause me not to be renewed. That susceptibility scares the hell out of me.”

A married couple who requested anonymity expressed similar concerns.

“The big discussion is how many people are affected,” the husband said. “Well, it was a week ago Monday that my wife and I found out.”

He said that they planned to sell their home — which has been paid off for 10 years — and use the money to move to North Carolina. They are now unable to sell their home and will soon be unable to live in it.

“It will cost more to fix that house than it’s worth,” said the wife. “We put our heart and soul into that house. It’s worth nothing and we can’t fix it because we don’t have the financial means.”

She also said the state allowed several insurance companies to rewrite their policies to exclude concrete coverage after these issues came to light.

“Waiting until you have all the numbers and all the money isn’t going to help the people in this room, nor is it going to help me,” said a Tolland resident who only found out within the past week that she is among the affected homeowners.

Homeowner Jim Williams lamented the political structure that he believes perpetuates these problems.

“Who’s running the state — is it the insurance companies or the government?” he asked. “You make me pay insurance, and when I have the biggest problem of my life, the insurance company is not there. I feel like a high school hockey team playing against the Stanley Cup champions. Someone has to step up and fight these people.”



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Ed. Note: The original version of this story incorrectly referred to John Patton as the president of the J.J. Mottes company. He is, in fact, a spokesperson.

Basement walls are crumbling across a section of eastern Connecticut and few seem to know why.

The issue has plagued some homeowners for nearly 20 years.

According to contractors and building officials from South Windsor to Willington, the only fix is for the foundation walls to be removed and re-poured. In each known case, insurance companies immediately deny the coverage claim.

Donald Childree, a general contractor from South Windsor, says he’s been in up to 75 different homes with the issue. He says it begins with hairline horizontal cracks, often more than 15 years after the foundation is originally placed. In time, map cracking develops, with some cracks big enough to fit a hand in.

"You’re looking at a minimum of $125,000 upwards to $200-250,000," Childree said, of the cost to replace the foundations. "Insurance companies absolutely will not cover anything."

Dozens of affected homeowners, contractors and building officials claim all of the failed foundations were poured between the early 1980s through 1998 by J.J. Mottes Company, a concrete and septic supplier out of Stafford Springs.

Dean Soucy is a general contractor out of Tolland. He says he’s received a "call or two per week" over the last several years from homeowners with the same issue.

He says each foundation he’s seen with the similar, distinct cracking was poured by J.J. Mottes Company in the '80s or '90s.

"This is like an epidemic as far as the housing industry is concerned," said Soucy, as he brought the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters through the basement of an affected home in Ellington.

Joseph Callahan, chief building official in Coventry, says all of the issues he’s seen in his 26 years of working in Coventry and Manchester were from J.J. Mottes concrete.

"I’ve never encountered anybody who had a foundation failure with anyone else’s concrete," said Callahan.

Towns don’t require permits for concrete foundations, but dozens of affected homeowners say it was J.J. Mottes Company who poured their concrete.

According to its website, J.J. Mottes Company was created in 1947.

In a statement, J.J. Mottes Company spokesperson John Patton did not comment on any issues prior to 1998, the year he purchased the company from in-laws.

His statement reads:

"The current ownership of the Joseph J. Mottes Company has been in place for 15 years. During this time, it has produced ready mix concrete for approximately 10,000 different residential, commercial, municipal and state jobs. We are aware of no project, not one, that has had the recently discovered phenomenon of pyrrhotite reaction and we have not been notified by either state regulators or industry sources of this alleged problem.

"We produce our concrete using sand, water, granite stone, Type I/II cement and standard industrial admixtures and use the exact same materials for our residential, commercial, and government work - the latter two of which are rigorously tested and inspected prior to and during installation. We have and continue to meet all of the standards of our industry and the regulations of the State of Connecticut.

"There are many factors that go into producing a good concrete product. Quality concrete mix handled improperly in the installation process or installed in unfavorable site conditions can result in a poor quality foundation.

"We have begun working with our managers, geologists and testing labs to review our manufacturing methods and materials to eliminate even the slightest possibility of this problem occurring with our Ready-Mix concrete. We are confident that the products we are producing today will continue to meet the needs of the surrounding region."

The statement does not address the alleged issues of foundations poured from the early 1980s to 1998, and contractors say the issues often take longer than 15 years for the concrete to show signs of failure.

What’s causing the issue has mystified homeowners, contractors and the state for close to 20 years, but Donald Childree believes he has the answer. He says an iron sulfide mineral called pyrrhotite is to blame.

Research suggests the effects of pyrrhotite in stone used as concrete aggregate could be catastrophic. Over time, water and air oxidize the pyrrhotite, creating a chemical reaction. This causes the concrete to swell and expand, leading to the cracking, and eventually raising the home from the foundation.

In one region of Quebec, Canada, the government set up an emergency fund to pay for hundreds of homes with crumbling basements affected by pyrrhotite in the concrete.

pyrrhotite is pretty rare in Connecticut, but according the U.S. Geological Survey, it is found in Willington at Becker’s Quarry. Becker’s Quarry is owned by the family that owns J.J. Mottes Company. The company confirmed the quarry is where J.J. Mottes has obtained stone used in their concrete aggregate for decades.

Sources confirm pyrrhotite was found in testing on some foundations consisting of J.J. Mottes-poured concrete. Court records reference reports describing an iron sulfide chemical reaction creating the foundation failures.

We cannot determine whether or not the mineral was present in all the failed basement walls because most were not tested, and settlements of litigation with their insurers prevent homeowners from disclosing the findings.

Linda Tofolowsky, formerly of Tolland, says she was the first homeowner to notice the intense cracks on her basement walls, a little over 10 years after they moved into a home on Kent Road South in 1985. She says her insurance company denied her claim. Tofolowsky says she tried to seek help from the town and the state, and eventually the courts.

The Tofolowskys took J.J. Mottes Company to court, alleging claims for product liability. In 2003, the company was found not liable for installing faulty concrete based on strength testing and a finding that the problems with the foundation were caused by the installer rather than a defect in concrete.

However, we found no record that the concrete from the Tofolowskys' home was tested for pyrrhotite. The court also found the Tofolowskys' claim fell outside the 10-year statute of limitations.

Walter Zaldwy built his home in 1988 in Willington. He says J.J. Mottes supplied the concrete for his foundation. He never questioned why his insurance company sent him a notice in 2008 stating his foundation would no longer be covered – until he started noticing the spider cracks on his walls growing within the last year.

"Looking back, I’m wondering, how did they get this information to decide they weren’t covering basement foundations anymore?" Zaldwy said.

Zaldwy now must decide if he can afford to pay the hefty cost of replacing the foundation or just walk away from his biggest investment.

"I spent a good part of my life trying to work and to achieve the American dream by owning the home to have it fall out from underneath me," he said.

There is some hope for homeowners. While still denying claims, insurance companies are starting to settle with some homeowners, but it often only after a long legal battle.