Opinion: Construction-Phase Fire Risks Demand Regional Action

Olympia Drive Blaze Highlights Gaps in Safeguarding Large Wood-frame Buildings

A Regional Wake-Up Call
The five-story wood-framed apartment complex on Olympia Drive in Amherst that burned last week should be a wake-up call not only for Amherst, but for communities across Western Massachusetts. Construction-phase fires of this kind are becoming more frequent. As The Wall Street Journal reported, “apartment fires are tied to cheaper, wood-based construction.” And in a Massachusetts-focused analysis, The Boston Globe warned that “taller wood-framed buildings… are often shoehorned into densely populated areas, putting entire neighborhoods at risk during construction fires.”

This is not just a local concern – it is a statewide pattern.

What Officials and Fire Leaders Have Said
Massachusetts municipal leaders have raised similar alarms. Following a major five-story wood-frame construction fire in Waltham, Mayor Jeannette McCarthy stated, “I think the wood-frame construction is idiotic, especially when you’re talking about 264 apartments… and it went up in three hours,” according to Engineering News-Record.

Veteran fire-service leaders have echoed these concerns. Former Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn noted that fires in these buildings “develop very rapidly,” explaining that modern lightweight wood trusses lack the mass older lumber provided, making them “inherently less fire resistant and very dangerous for firefighters.” Speaking about a Boston fire where sprinklers were not yet active, Finn said damages would have been “$45,000 versus $45 million” had the suppression system been online.

Olympia Drive Shows the High-Risk Phase of Construction
Olympia Drive illustrates the most vulnerable period in large wood-frame construction: before sprinklers, sheetrock, and fire barriers are installed. Amherst officials have focused important attention on firefighter staffing, but staffing alone cannot address design-driven vulnerabilities. The risk itself must be addressed during the construction phase.

What State Fire Code Already Requires
Massachusetts incorporates NFPA 241 – the national standard for safeguarding buildings during construction – into the statewide fire code (527 CMR 1.00). The 2022 edition of NFPA 241 added new chapters for large wood-frame structures, requiring:

• Early water supply
• Temporary standpipes
• Temporary detection systems
• And, when warranted, temporary sprinkler or water-mist systems before a building is enclosed

The purpose is straightforward: reduce the likelihood of exactly the type of fire Amherst just experienced.

Similar Conditions in Northampton and Amherst
Northampton now faces two comparable five-story wood-frame projects, including one at Hawley Street and Phillips Place, where historic wood-frame homes sit within tens of feet of a large combustible structure. Amherst has multiple neighborhoods with similar site constraints. Narrow streets, close setbacks, and older housing stock all limit options for firefighting access and increase exposure risk.

Regional policymakers should be evaluating not only staffing levels, but construction-phase fire-safety requirements for large wood-frame development, especially as these structures become more common in Western Massachusetts.

A Practical Step Toward Safer Growth
These buildings are not inherently unsafe once completed, but they are highly vulnerable during a specific window of construction. Temporary fire-suppression systems, improved separation from adjacent homes, and stronger implementation of NFPA 241 represent practical, reasonable measures that allow housing growth to continue while reducing avoidable risk.

Boston has already adopted NFPA 241-aligned requirements, including pre-construction fire-exposure analyses for large wood-frame buildings. Amherst and Northampton do not need to reinvent the wheel – they simply need to apply the standards the state has already adopted.

We all want smart, safe, sustainable growth. But recent events – including the Olympia Drive fire – show that relying solely on luck or staffing is not a long-term strategy. NFPA 241 gives cities the tools. Now it is up to our local governments to use them.

Read More
Apartment Fires Are Tied to Cheaper, Wood-Based Construction (Wall Street Journal)

Lessons Not Learned: Massachusetts Belatedly Confronts Construction Fire Dangers (Boston Globe)

City of Boston Fire Exposure Analysis Requirement (NFPA 241 implementation)

Major Updates to NFPA 241 (2022 Edition)”

Fire Protection During Construction (National Fire Sprinkler Association)

Temporary Fire Sprinkler Systems (BuildOps)

Matthew Hoey is a Northampton-based entrepreneur and activist who co-founded and served as Managing Director of Canopy City, an international incubator for mission-driven startups that was headquartered in Somerville. His work in innovation and global advocacy has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Foreign Policy in Focus. He can be reached at matt@canopy.city