Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Two historic buildings on each side of the downtown law firm that caught fire Thursday were spared from exposure damage.
Buffalo Permits and Inspections Commissioner Cathy Amdur says firefighters took proactive measures to protect the Guaranty and Verizon buildings, each on one side of the Paul William Beltz buidling on Church Street, which caught fire Thursday. "(Firefighters) have water lines charged in the buildings, both the Guaranty building and the Verizon building, with firefighters standing by. God forbid if the fire did start to spread to those buildings, it could be put out quickly," says Amdur.
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As for the Beltz building, Amdur says firefighters will be getting help. "We're bringing in an excavator so that if the fire department needs help accessing hot spots, we can help and get in there," says Amdur. She says natural gas shutoffs may be required for nearby businesses and residents.
Amdur says there were no sprinklers in the building. "But it was built in an older code where that would not have been required," says Amdur. "It also has to do with the height of the building, so there's a few considerations, but it would have been built as a code compliant building when it was constructed."