Investigators: The Breakwater Apartments fire was caused by faulty HVAC installation – The Courier-Journal

More than 100 units were affected by an early Saturday morning fire as 90 firefighters responded. Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal

Firefighters work to contain a blaze as well as billowing smoke at the Breakwater Apartments in New Albany Saturday. Heavy fire on the third floor was discovered by firefighters after calls around 5:11 a.m. Four fire departments -- New Albany, Jeffersonville, Clarksville and Georgetown Township -- were required. Around 90 firefighters helped contain the fire. Two firefighters fell through a floor while battling the fire but were not injured. The units damaged were under construction. An investigation is underway.(Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)Buy Photo

The fire that damaged the majority of a soon-to-open luxury apartment complex in downtown New Albany burned for nearly 18 hours before it was reported by a neighbor and was likely started by a contract worker, investigators alleged.

In an incident report released Thursday, New Albany Fire investigators determined that The Breakwater Apartments blazeoriginated in the ceiling area above unit 217. The $26.5 million complex, located at 411 E. Spring St., had been scheduled to open by mid-March.

Joe Miller, a heating, ventilation and air condition installer with Del Monde Heating and Air Conditioning, said he sparked a fire while soldering a copper pipe in the mechanical area above the apartment, according to report. The insulation around the pipe ignited between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.

Miller said he spent 45 minutes putting out the blaze by usingmultiple fire extinguishers. He also cut a 2-foot-by-2-foot hole to get the insulation out that was on fire.

"The HVAC installer indicated that he thought he had put the fire out," said the report, which was posted on the city's website.

Investigators alleged that multiple other contractors saw the fire but "at no time did anyone notify the fire department about the situation." A neighbor called 9-1-1 the following morning, and the New Albany Fire Department responded by 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, according to report.

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The Courier-Journal reported that about 90 firefighters from the New Albany, Jeffersonville, Georgetownand Clarksville departments were able to bring the fire under control.While inspecting the building, two firefighters fell through the third floor and were rescued. Noinjuries were reported.

Once again, Id like to reiterate how fortunate the city of New Albany is that, despite the amount of damage and the size of the fire, there were no injuries. Id also like to thank the New Albany Fire Department, New Albany Police Department, and all of our neighboring communities for their help in extinguishing the blaze and assisting at the scene, Mayor Jeff Gahan said in a release.

The unoccupied125-unit building had been scheduled to open by mid-March, said Jill Herron, senior vice president of property asset management forFlaherty & Collins Properties, which owns The Breakwater. The neighboring 66-unit building, which opened in January, houses about 45 residents. That building was not damaged and residents were uninjured, she said.

In a news release, Michael Collins, regional property manager for thecompany, said the sprinklers were not on because the building was incomplete and hasn't been issueda certificate of occupancy.The 206,000-square-foot project broke ground in December 2015 at thesite of the former Coyle Chevrolet.

We want to thank the New Albany Fire Department and other local fire departments who are providing help for their steadfast efforts," he said. "We will certainly work diligently to fix the damage to the building.

This story will be updated.

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Investigators: The Breakwater Apartments fire was caused by faulty HVAC installation - The Courier-Journal