Tall And Skinny Blaze Ruled Arson; Homes Not Inspected By Codes

NASHVILLE, TN -- A pair of tall and skinny houses that burned in a dramatic fire Tuesday had not been inspected by Metro, the city's top codes official told WKRN. Fire investigators also ruled the cause as arson Friday.

Codes Director Bill Herbert told the station the two homes at 1729 Pecan Street, both of which were completely destroyed in the Tuesday night blaze that Nashville Fire crews spent hours fighting, had not been inspected by his department. The house at 1727 Pecan, which remained erect despite heat damage and a collapsed roof, had been properly vetted by Metro, he said.

"On one property that had not been inspected, we have two buildings that burned to the ground in a horrific fire," Herbert told News 2. "The adjacent property that had been inspected and constructed with the appropriate materials had minimal damage."

Herbert speculated the houses at 1729 burned quickly because they'd only been framed-up, but he said there's no way of knowing if they'd been built properly since codes inspectors hadn't been called in. The property's developer showed the station that he'd hired a third-party inspector who found everything to be in compliance, but those inspections were never filed with the city..

"It's essentially self-regulating and it doesn't gain anything by failing to call for the inspection because at the end of the day it's going to get caught," Herbert said.

The home at 1727 Pecan, which had been inspected, complied with the six-foot side setback and had a one-hour rated fire sheet on the exterior wall, which Herbert said likely saved the building.

After Metro Codes found at least 85 tall and skinnies in and around The Nations non-compliant with the setback rule, concerns were raised about developers cutting corners or using loopholes - like using so-called "bump outs" on upper floors, which encroach on the six-foot barrier - in the hot Music City building market.

"If there were a fire, God forbid, the city of Nashville would be on the hook," Councilmember Mary Carolyn Roberts, The Nations' representative, told The Tennessean at the time. "This is a huge deal. This is not just a mistake. It's a colossal mistake. Now that we're aware of the problem, it's come to a grinding halt, but I'm going to defend my constituents. They're going to have to retrofit every single one of those houses."

The concerns of Roberts and others came into sharp focus with the rapidly spreading fire Tuesday. The Nashville Fire Department is putting its crews through specialized training for battling blazes in the tall and skinnies.

Photo via Nashville Fire Department