CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's been one week since a fire in south Charlotte displaced dozens of people. Officials are still trying to figure out what caused the fire at the Beacon Hill Apartments, right off Tyvola road. Some residents told us, there was no sprinkler system in place, and they wondered why not?
THE QUESTION:
Are sprinklers required in apartment units in North Carolina?
OUR SOURCES:
THE ANSWER:
Yes, sprinklers are now required in apartments. However, some apartments that were built before the early 2000s are not required to have sprinklers but must have some other types of fire protection in place.
WHAT WE FOUND:
According to the NC Department of Insurance, in 2002, all new apartments that were more than two stories tall or had more than 16 dwelling units were required to have a sprinkler system. Then starting in 2006, state laws were broadened, and all new apartments were required to have automatic sprinkler systems.
The Better Business Bureau has business records for the Beacon Hill Apartments, starting in 1996. In an email, Tom Bartholomy, the president of the Better Business Bureau, tells WCNC that indicates that the business was open at that time.
Kevin Miller tells WCNC apartments built before the requirement are grandfathered in and don't need to have sprinklers, but they must still have other required fire-protection elements in place, like a firewall or fire separation wall.
"Fire sprinklers are designed to keep fires at bay, firewalls are more designed to stop the spread to adjoining units so they kind of serve two different purposes," Miller said.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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