Dear Editor:
In response to your recent article concerning the fire at Seminole Ridge Apartments, I am extremely upset that your reporter did not call our office for comments.
If he had, I would have been able to add more information into the fire that destroyed the building that was less than 50 percent complete.
Two important facts were glossed over by the reporter.
1. There was no drywall installed in the building. Drywall (including the many sheets of fire-rated drywall that are required) would have greatly slowed the spread of the fire.
2. Most importantly, the sprinkler system for each unit had not been installed.
The building, for all intents and purposes, was just a shell. The interior work had just been started.
The fire department stated that they concentrated on the adjacent building and the wooded areas around the building because they determined that the building on fire (because of the stage of completion and the fact it was unoccupied) would be best left alone and their concentration focused on those areas I mentioned before.
Another item left out of the story was that the morning after the fire we sent an e-mail to each of our residents letting them know that while the investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing, we were confident that it had nothing to do with the design or construction of the building.
We also gave them telephone numbers for everyone associated with the investigation of the fire as well as the telephone numbers for our corporate office in Harrisonburg, Va., and encouraged them to call if they had questions or concerns about the fire.
As of this minute, I have received one call from someone and they were inquiring as to our suspicions for the cause of the fire.
It is currently our opinion that the cause of the fire was arson and when the investigation is complete, many new facts concerning the circumstances surrounding the fire will come to light.
Lastly, with the amount of fire-suppression devices (sprinkler system, fire-rated, etc.) utilized in the design and construction of Seminole Ridge, I am confident enough to say that our residents are as safe at Seminole Ridge as they are at any building in Johnson City.
I encourage anyone with questions concerning the recent fire to call me directly at (540) 432-9477. I will answer as many questions as humanly possible.
I also encourage your reporters to call me in the future when they want to write a story on Seminole Ridge. An article is more complete when it contains statements from everyone involved.
Kevin Williams
General Manager
LB & J Limited

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