As the investigation continues into a massive fire that destroyed a Far East Side apartment building project earlier this month, authorities said Monday the blaze may have caused more than $10 million in damage.

No one was injured in the Aug. 8 fire, which leveled the four-story, 105-unit apartment complex under construction on the 500 block of Apollo Way.

The fire sent up smoke that could be seen around the Madison area, and generated intense heat, threatening nearby homes.

Because of the fires size, local authorities called in investigative help from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team.

Federal and local authorities have interviewed 105 people since then, officials said at a press conference Monday.

Investigators are still looking into how the fire started and have a few hypotheses, Madison Fire Department Chief Steve Davis said.

Dan Heenan, an ATF special agent with the National Response Team, said some possible causes have been ruled out, including an electrical or natural gas source, since the building was not yet hooked up to those utilities.

They have not yet ruled out arson, Heenan said.

Authorities initially said the fire caused $3.5 million to $5 million in damage, but Heenan said Monday that an insurer estimated that damage was upwards of $10 million.

The National Response Team, made up of investigators from across the country, is now turning the inquiry over to local authorities from the Madison police and fire departments and local ATF office, Heenan said.

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Investigation into Apollo Way fire continues; damage now estimated at $10M

LA GRANGE A proposal for the construction of a multiple family apartment building in La Grange at the corner of Ashland and Harris avenues will move forward with a negative recommendation from the village of La Grange Plan Commission after its meeting Aug. 12.

Four of the commissioners voted against the proposal and 3 voted in favor.

Community Development Director Patrick Benjamin said he'd love to offer up a more precise description as to why the commission voted the way it did, but due to the "absence of much commentary," Benjamin is still searching for that answer himself.

At the meeting, John Schiess, an architect and partner with the developer Brand & Co., presented a revised proposal to the commission that included lowering the structure by two feet, efforts to minimize the traffic outflow onto Harris Avenue and to better align the building with La Grange's design guidelines.

The multiple family residential building will have four floors of residences, each with diverse unit types, according to Schiess.

"We are providing something that's not available [in La Grange]," Schiess said. "These types of homes are not available ... but they're very much desired."

In the months prior to the commission's meeting, Schiess, representing the developer, sat down with local neighbors in an attempt to address their concerns about the building. Schiess said that during the meeting, residents opposed the develpment having retail or restaurant space, and voiced concerns about a nearby school zone safety on Harris Avenue and the potential for street flooding.

Schiess said the developers reached out to the neighbors because they wanted to hear about their concerns directly.

As the presentation progressed, Schiess pointing out that the vacant lot is currently a commercially zoned property.

"We believe this site should be an R-8 [zone]," Schiess said and asked the commission to rezone the lot for a residential property. "That rezoning of the site is supported by the [village's] comprehensive plan."

The rest is here:
La Grange Plan Commission moves project forward with negative recommendation

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) Pyongyang isn't just any North Korean city. So when a 23-story apartment building under construction collapsed in the center of the showcase capital in May, officials faced a bona fide emergency.

Their response was in some ways predictable: a grudgingly slow and piecemeal confirmation, followed by scapegoating and spin. Three months later, they still refuse to give a death toll, saying only that it was "serious" and that leader Kim Jong Un "sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident."

But in a country where acknowledgment of failure is rare, experts say North Korea's handling of the collapse also shines a light on how it is grappling with some deeper issues, including its image among foreign investors, the limits on its control over information and the need to address, at a public level, the concerns of its citizens.

In this photo taken on Thursday, July 31, 2014, a North Korean woman walks past a recently completed dormitory to house more than 3,000 workers at the Kim Jong Suk Textile Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Korea?s 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (Wong Maye-E/AP)

Well aware of how far North Korea lags behind its more prosperous neighbors, Kim has singled out development projects as a key priority since he assumed power following the death of his father in 2011. This week, while visiting a block of apartment houses being built in Pyongyang for university teachers, he reportedly said the nation's soldier-builders are "racing against time in ushering in a great heyday of building a rich and powerful country."

Nowhere is that race more feverish or the political stakes higher than in Pyongyang.

Home to more than one-tenth of North Korea's 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty.

In a country that sorely needs to improve its basic infrastructure, there is no public debate over whether North Korea really needs a new luxury ski resort, or a 105-story pyramid-shaped hotel that has been a Pyongyang landmark for more than 20 years, but has yet to open for business. Questioning the value of megaprojects held up as symbols of progress and national pride in North Korea is taboo.

Housing, however, hits closer to home.

"This accident happened because they broke the rules and methods of construction," Pyongyang resident Pak Chol told The Associated Press after the accident was reported by the state media. "We must make sure that this kind of terrible accident never happens again, by sticking to the proper method of building."

Excerpt from:
Building fail sheds light on N. Korean priorities

Residents were evacuated from a Brooklyn apartment building Friday after a piece of construction equipment smashed through a wall.

Firefighters say an excavator from a neighboring construction site was leaning against the building when they got there.

Six people were evacuated, but no one was injured.

NY1 spoke to people who were inside the building when it happened.

"There was, like, a boom and then, like, a little shake, and then, the people came, the firemen came, and they said we had to evacuate the building," said one person who was inside the building.

"The second floor, the lady told me that the whole wall shook. She came downstairs and said the building is smashed. So I went upstairs, the whole wall is smashed in. It took the whole sheet rock and pushed it all in," said another.

"I just felt scared because I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what happened until I came outside and it was unlevel," said a third. "To me, it was an accident."

There is no word yet on when residents will be allowed back into their homes.

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Residents of Brooklyn Apartment Evacuate After Construction Equipment Smashes Through Wall

In this photo taken on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, elderly North Korean men walk on a sidewalk with the 105-story pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel, which has been under construction since 1987, seen in the background in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Monday, July 28, 2014, construction workers sit in front of the new Pyongyang International airport terminal under construction in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Thursday, July 31, 2014, North Koreans paint the facade of their apartment building in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Monday, July 28, 2014, construction work is underway at the new Pyongyang International airport terminal in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Thursday, July 31, 2014, North Korean men wait next to the recently completed dormitory to house more than 3,000 workers at the Kim Jong Suk Textile Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

PYONGYANG, North Korea Pyongyang isn't just any North Korean city. So when a 23-story apartment building under construction collapsed in the center of the showcase capital in May, officials faced a bona fide emergency.

Their response was in some ways predictable: a grudgingly slow and piecemeal confirmation, followed by scapegoating and spin. Three months later, they still refuse to give a death toll, saying only that it was "serious" and that leader Kim Jong Un "sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident."

But in a country where acknowledgment of failure is rare, experts say North Korea's handling of the collapse also shines a light on how it is grappling with some deeper issues, including its image among foreign investors, the limits on its control over information and the need to address, at a public level, the concerns of its citizens.

Well aware of how far North Korea lags behind its more prosperous neighbors, Kim has singled out development projects as a key priority since he assumed power following the death of his father in 2011. This week, while visiting a block of apartment houses being built in Pyongyang for university teachers, he reportedly said the nation's soldier-builders are "racing against time in ushering in a great heyday of building a rich and powerful country."

Nowhere is that race more feverish or the political stakes higher than in Pyongyang.

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Accountability, Pyongyang style: North Korea grapples with implications of high-rise collapse

MADISON, Wis. -

The fire department said the "powerful" fire the took down a large apartment building last week on damaged more than a dozen nearby homes and melted parts of the fire engine.

Madison Fire spokeswoman Bernadette Galvez said Thursday that crews responding to the fire last Friday night worked to wet down homes near the four-floor structure that was emitting heat hot enough to melt parts of a fire engine and cracking windows in adjacent buildings. The fire at a building under construction on the 500 block of Apollo Way was initially reported by drivers seeing smoke and flames from Interstate 90 at about 7:30 p.m., officials said last week.

"The radiant heat from the fire was so intense that firefighter air packs were hot to the touch, fire gear started to melt and fire engine tires were smoking," Galvez said Thursday. "This powerful fire would burn any exposed skin if not covered."

Galvez said crews arriving to the scene could feel heat from the blaze 100 feet away through the fire engine windshield. Parts of the engine can be seen melted and warped in photos provided by the Madison Fire Department.

Images of nearby homes showed melted, rippled siding the department said was caused by radiant heat.

The building complex that burned is a total loss estimated at $3.5 million to $5 million.

The fire investigation continued Thursday, Galvez said.

Published On:Aug 08 2014 08:24:58 PM CDT Updated On:Aug 14 2014 01:27:53 PM CDT

A large fire broke out in an apartment building in the Grandview Commons subdivision on Madison's east side Aug. 8. Photos show the building burning and subsequent damage caused by heat from the big blaze.

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Heat from fire damages 14 nearby homes, fire engine

A Frisco development that stalled during the recession is reviving with new construction.

A 275-unit urban-style apartment project will be built in Frisco Square by developer PegasusAblon and investor Behringer.

Its the second major addition announced in the last few months for Friscos 14-year-old town center on the Dallas North Tollway.

We are putting the same kind of amenity base in the project that people want in Uptown and Legacy, said developer Michael Ablon. Theres a large constituency that wants that in Frisco.

The four-story Ablon at Frisco Square will be constructed south of Main Street and just across from Friscos City Hall.

Ablon said the apartments, designed by BGO Architects, will open at the end of next year.

The Frisco rental complex will be of the same quality that developers are building in Uptown and other popular central Dallas neighborhoods, he said.

Everybody talks about the generation that wants the urban lifestyle in Uptown, Ablon said. But there is a large number of the same folks that want the same things but are more suburban.

PegasusAblon has already built one successful Frisco apartment project.

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New apartment community on the way at Frisco Square project

More than 70% of apartment renters reported owning pets, with cats and dogs as the most popular types, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Despite the high pet ownership numbers, the survey by Apartments.com found that it may still be hard for renters to find a pet-friendly apartment.

Nearly two-thirds of pet-owners in 2014 reported having some difficulty finding an apartment that allows pets, but the rental listing website said that may be changing.

We see the rental industry moving toward accommodating the needs of this important and growing segment of renters, Tammy Kotula, spokesperson for Apartments.com, said in a statement.

The survey found that apartment building's pet policies played a major role in the decision about where to rent for nearly nine out of 10 pet owners.

Seventy percent of pet owners said their choice of where to rent was influenced by nearby pet amenities, such as parks, veterinary facilities and pet stores.

We believe these trends may increase demand for new apartment construction that includes innovative pet-friendly spaces, amenities and policies, said Brad Long, president of Apartments.com.

In downtown Los Angeles, the newly opened Avant South Park Apartments is hoping to appeal to dog owners with amenities such as a bark park and a dog grooming station. It also has a dog walker and groomer on site.

Its not like a make-or-break deal, said Adam Schaller, a leasing agent at the building, which held its grand opening at the end of June. Its just an extra perk.

Schaller said a little under half of the apartments had been leased so far and around 35% are occupied. He estimated that about one-quarter of the residents own pets.

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More than 70% of apartment renters own pets, survey finds

Man in $6 million arson case wants police interview dismissed

By Michelle L. Price, Associated Press

August 11th, 2014 @ 9:44pm

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY A federal judge will decide in the next month whether to throw out a police interview during which a Utah electrician admitted to setting an unfinished apartment building on fire.

Dustin Bowman, 34, of Bountiful, was not informed of his Miranda rights when meeting with federal investigators days after the Feb. 9 blaze, his defense attorney argued in court Monday.

The Salt Lake fire caused an estimated $6 million in damage.

Attorney Jamie Zenger said Bowman was intimidated by officers and indicated he didn't want to accompany them to the site of the fire or to a law enforcement building afterward, where he was interviewed for four hours.

She argued the interview, including Bowman's admission to starting the fire, should be suppressed.

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Man in $6 million arson case wants police interview dismissed

CTV Montreal Published Thursday, August 14, 2014 8:15AM EDT Last Updated Thursday, August 14, 2014 8:23AM EDT

One block of Cartier St. is closed to traffic Thursday because of fears a building will collapse.

According to firefighters residents of an apartment building called 9-1-1 at 5 a.m. because they heard strange noises and noticed new cracks in their walls.

A scaffolding has been set up in a passageway that runs through the building, and there are bricks and other items on the ground.

Firefighters said it appears the construction work through the tunnel, which leads to the building's courtyard, was not done correctly.

Emergency officials evacuated the building and shut down Cartier St. from Ontario St. to Sherbrooke St.

The Red Cross is providing temporary shelter for the six families that will not be allowed to return home until an engineer from the city of Montreal certifies the building is safe.

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Street closed due to fears of building collapse