Defendants named in the complaint are the developer, O'NeillProperties Group of King of Prussia and its subsidiary, MerionConstruction; L21 Construction Managers in Leesport, PA.; andBozutto Corp. in Greenbelt, MD. O'Neill and Bozutto did not returncalls in time for publication. L21 could not be reached forcomment. The Philadelphia firm of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett &Bendesky PC, is representing the plaintiffs. A call was notreturned to GlobeSt.com from the firm.
Two of the buildings within the complex were completelydestroyed by the fire, which required some 300 firefighters to getunder control. Residents in the buildings that were spared theflames have since been allowed to return. The Montgomery CountyDistrict Attorney has revealed that the fire was accidental,started by a construction worker's torch in the Stables atMillennium apartment building under development at the complex.
In prepared statements Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendeskymaintain that initial reports about the fire suggest it could havebeen prevented. According to the complaint, the Stables project waswood-frame construction that didn't have any fire protectionmeasures, including a functioning automatic sprinkler system.
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Erika Morphy
Erika Morphy has been writing about commercial real estate at GlobeSt.com for more than ten years, covering the capital markets, the Mid-Atlantic region and national topics. She's a nerd so favorite examples of the former include accounting standards, Basel III and what Congress is brewing.
