Fire at Majestic Colonial

PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
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Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
That's what happens when you build a hotel industry in a remote place of the DR without an existing city or town within itself for public services.

The whole industry must take a good look at this and create a plan with pooled resources to fund and run a local fire department station able to cope with fires like these and well beyond that.

Prevention is the key to it all...

It's about time that developers carried out projects, that addressed those types of needs in their big plans.

Even a domestic fire sprinkler system would have avoided the fire to spread and keep damages to a minimum, not to say a commercial sprinkler system of proportions and capacity for the area.

In the DR, for as long as I can recall, the role of the fire departments have been to keep the fires from spreading and to put out the smoldering debris. Not to put out the fire as primary response!

Have they learned from this? Going from the historic data? No!
 
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bigbird

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May 1, 2005
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PICHARDO said:
...............It's about time that developers carried out projects, that addressed those types of needs in their big plans.................
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Does the DR have any building codes which would require this? If not, maybe it's time for a change.
 
PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
bigbird said:
Does the DR have any building codes which would require this? If not, maybe it's time for a change.
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You mean fire sprinklers? Only for certain commercial and residential structures after a set level of floors.

Pretty much naked in most buildings today...

In my opinion they should be made mandatory in all but single family homes, and then in single family homes of a single level not so for anything with a multi-level...
 
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belmont

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Oct 9, 2009
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Funny how I was soundly criticized for questioning Dominican Fire Codes in a thread recently. The standpipes and sprinkler systems in place in the DR are dry systems. They will not operate until the fire department hooks up and charges the system. That is if the fire department has access to adequate water supply. As I stated before, the DR is a fire disaster waiting to happen.
http://www.dr1.com/forums/santo-domingo/122921-anacaona-27-a.html
 
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zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Well designed and properly installed sprinkler systems stop nearly all fires in high rises. Lets suggest to the narco trafficers who are financing the high rise construction that they need to insistin that their buildings have a sprinkler system.
Its not just here in the DR. Saw a documentary on Panama where the same thing is going on with new high rise construction being used as a money laundry. They spoke of how many of the buildings were dark after dark, ie. not occuppied. One big thing Panama has going for itself is the Canal. The US and other developed countries are not about to let the drug trafficers gain too strong a foothold where the Canal is of such importance to world trade.
 
PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
belmont said:
Funny how I was soundly criticized for questioning Dominican Fire Codes in a thread recently. The standpipes and sprinkler systems in place in the DR are dry systems. They will not operate until the fire department hooks up and charges the system. That is if the fire department has access to adequate water supply. As I stated before, the DR is a fire disaster waiting to happen.
http://www.dr1.com/forums/santo-domingo/122921-anacaona-27-a.html
Click to expand...


Two different things!

For one here we're talking about hotel industry assets in the remote coastal areas with little to NONE service from under equipped fire departments of any kind, and on the other about buildings that are pretty much smack in the middle of populated centers with at least some sort of still under equipped responders...

A dry sprinkler system is not a bad deal, but you must keep in mind that the way residential apartments are built in the city by far, are not akin to how the hotel industry builds in the coast.

You can see that the place that went up in flames was making use of a roofing in keeping withe palm trees, and super flammable. Hardly what you'll see in an apartment building like Torre Caney or others around.

About the commercial applications? I think I fully agreed on the lack of fire suppressors and what not.

My opinion was based on the coastal residential and commercial areas, which by their remote locations, any fire that spreads could become a real problem in hours...
 
PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
zoomzx11 said:
Well designed and properly installed sprinkler systems stop nearly all fires in high rises. Lets suggest to the narco trafficers who are financing the high rise construction that they need to insistin that their buildings have a sprinkler system.
Its not just here in the DR. Saw a documentary on Panama where the same thing is going on with new high rise construction being used as a money laundry. They spoke of how many of the buildings were dark after dark, ie. not occuppied. One big thing Panama has going for itself is the Canal. The US and other developed countries are not about to let the drug trafficers gain too strong a foothold where the Canal is of such importance to world trade.
Click to expand...

Maybe so, but again, if you will: Can you list us the towers being built with laundered money, as it seems so many can identify them by their large estimates like always?


As for Panama? It's been long known that the capital Panama City is well regarded with the unofficial name of Coca-Dollar-City, and I hardly can think it has anything to do with the world famous soda drink...
 
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zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
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Agree 100 percent with Belmont, need a wet pressurized system. I cannot recall ever being in a sprinklered building in the DR. Maybe HOMS Hospital in Santiago? Ever see "Towering Inferno"? I dont think the DR volunteers (God bless em) would have a chance of making a stop. And you just know the electrical and plumbing chases are not fire stopped such that a fire would not spread upwards.
 
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belmont

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Oct 9, 2009
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zoomzx11 said:
Agree 100 percent with Belmont, need a wet pressurized system. I cannot recall ever being in a sprinklered building in the DR. Maybe HOMS Hospital in Santiago? Ever see "Towering Inferno"? I dont think the DR volunteers (God bless em) would have a chance of making a stop. And you just know the electrical and plumbing chases are not fire stopped such that a fire would not spread upwards.
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"Towering Inferno"?????????? The chance of that happening is as remote as the "Poseidon Adventure" happening....Costa Concordia's owners had same attitude as Pichardo, it can never happen.
 
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KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
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The Veron firefighters actually made it to the fire along with the fire trucks from the Punta Cana airport. Unfortunately, it appears they weren't immediately notified and also had a bit of a hard time reaching the fire. When they got there, they had low water pressure and I believe a water truck from the airport thankfully was on hand to supply water to one of the engines. They managed to keep it from spreading any further which is, according to what I was informed, basically what you need to do with thatched roof (cana) fires. The hotel was evacuated due to the smoke as a precautionary measure and thankfully no one was injured. The tour operators from what I heard are to be commended for their quick action in getting people out of there. The hotel apparently didn't know how to react... In the end, a beach restaurant, bar and part of the spa were the only "fatalities".

It's obvious this area is deficient with regards to both fire codes and the necessary firefighters. The Veron station has 2 trucks, one that's out of service due to motor problems (27 years of use) and the other has to date been used in over 20 fires and was donated by a Canadian through the Rotary Club but I don't think it's prepared to handle big blazes. The airport has class A engines but obviously their main focus is on the airport and on a busy day with many flights, they can't let them leave the property. Thankfully (if I can say it that way), the fire occured at night when there weren't many, if any, flights so they were able to assist. You can check out the Veron firestation's page on Facebook (Bomberos Veron Punta Cana), they posted some slightly blurry pictures of the fire the other day.
 
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Contango

Banned
Dec 27, 2010
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Wasn't there a Fire a couple of months back at the Moonpalace(Hardrock) too?

On another note, where I live my Condo doesn't even have Fire Extinguishers in the Hallways, but we have Fire Hydrants on the property.
 
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jrjrth

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Mar 24, 2011
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~Ironically...I too know that in the RD, there are not building codes for Sprinkler systems or Fire alarms systems for that matter...this is why I have taken liability into my own hands when it comes to my dwelling that is rented to protect the rentors....I have had installation from the US the top o the line fire system and sprinkler systems to ensure the safety of our clients.................and Yes...this should to transpire to the AI's all over the Island...I was so surprised to not find the basic....$4.00 US smoke alarm alert warning in the AI's that we have been visiting since 1992??????

~However we are our own best advocate...............and bring our own.........simply place the Stick It to the wall......and we have our own warning system................very simple:)
 
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belmont

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Oct 9, 2009
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Important safety tip from the video. Woman was heard to say she couldn't find her children and grandchildren. Important for families to designate a meeting place to reunite at in case of a disaster and they become separated. Also important to designate someone at home they will all contact if they become separated.
 
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smartyjoneslost

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Jun 9, 2004
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14 of my friends have reservations at the Majestic Colonial arriving 25 May. The travel agent is telling them that everything will be "back to normal" by May 8th. We cannot find anything current as far as the progress toward the repairs at the hotel. If there is anyone down there that is "in the know" please let us know what is going on. The travel agent does not want to put them in a different hotel because the Majestic Colonial is supposed to be back to normal. Please let us know what is going on. Thanks........
 
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