On a Monday afternoon in April, twenty-four units were lost in a fire that started on the 4th floor of this garden-style condominium. The official cause was never determined. Minkoff responded immediately, performing all emergency mitigation services to stabilize the property.
Minkoff technicians worked day and night in the days after the fire picking up debris, extracting water, and boarding up broken windows and doors. Once stabilized, our team escorted residents to and from their homes so they could retrieve salvageable necessities and valuables. Mitigation and demolition continued for three months including water extraction, removal of all finishes, and charred material. Minkoff was able to salvage most of the building’s framing.
For two years Minkoff continued with full restoration of the building. Delays related to county permits and inspections were a large challenge on this project. Today, the damaged building at Christopher at Cedar Lakes has been restored to a condition that is equal to or better than what preexisted the fire.
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The Shelby Apartments suffered extensive damage after a 4-alarm fire erupted at a neighboring construction site which consumed an entire city block. Smoke from the massive fire was visible for miles. The damage at the Shelby was heat-related, rather than direct fire damage.
Minkoff was engaged immediately to address roof damage, extract water, perform drying, industrial hygiene, duct cleaning, and demolition. Minkoff’s production team overhauled the 72,800-sf roof membrane, including detaching and resetting 240 rooftop HVAC units.
On the south façade of the building, 284 windows and 24 sliding doors were replaced. Other repairs included replacement of drywall, cabinetry, trim, insulation, as well as interior and exterior painting. Winter temperatures and reconstruction of the fire source property made access extremely challenging. Minkoff successfully coordinated the job while many residents remained in the building during the restoration.
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An electrical malfunction caused a two-alarm fire through the roof at The Leumass Condominium, a four-story historic building originally constructed in 1906 as a single-family home. The fire started on the roof and spread to the third floor. Fortunately, no tenants were injured in the fire and a team was brought in quickly to perform emergency services.
When the fire department broke the glass of the building’s front door, Minkoff coordinated security and staff for overnight fire watch. Later we were contracted to reconstruct and renovate the entire building which proved to be a difficult task. First, because we had to adhere to strict historic guidelines. Second, due to the tight quarters surrounding the building and lack of parking was impossible for staging of equipment, and lastly, there were challenges working with the city to do so. After being damaged by fire, smoke, and water new walk-up private decks were built on the rooftop enhancing each penthouse.
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An unexpected electrical problem below the roof sparked a massive blaze at this four-story condominium building in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC.
The fire quickly got out of control due to the century-old water mains inability to provide ample water to extinguish the flames. The roof collapsed into the fourth floor leaving dozens of residents homeless. Once the fire was out, all that remained was debris and the building’s exterior walls.
Minkoff was brought in immediately to stabilize and secure the building. Working with the Board of Directors, the property manager, and the insurance carrier, Minkoff devised a complete restoration plan. Paying close attention to all of the original details, Minkoff reconstructed the entire building delivering twenty eight units in just over one year.
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During the middle of the night a massive explosion due to a natural gas leak in the basement meter room lead to a three-alarm apartment fire involving two four-story buildings. Ninety families were displaced and sixty-five people were transported for medical care, including three firefighters.
Minkoff Company was called to do mitigation and emergency building stabilization. Immediately following the fire, approximately 800 feet of fencing was set up for security and fire watch was called onsite. Minkoff’s Emergency Service Crews performed necessary testing of other buildings and structural cleaning to affected areas to ensure safety at the property. Minkoff staff also retrieved pertinent items such as tenants’ medications from units that were safe to enter.
This job involved ground up construction and complete demolition was necessary to clear all damaged building materials. New foundations were laid and framing was recreated. Despite the massive scale of this project, Minkoff’s production team kept the job on schedule to completion.
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When a fire at Dorado Hills Condominiums displaced twelve families, Minkoff Company was called in to handle the Emergency Services and Reconstruction of the building.
A resident smoking while using oxygen caused a two-three alarm apartment fire. The individual that caused the fire suffered minor injuries, as did a firefighter. Twelve families were displaced and six units from the adjoining building were damaged by smoke and water.
By working with the community manager, board president, and vice president, permanent repairs ensued shortly thereafter. A staged recovery was implemented to get as many families back into their units as quickly as possible. Restoration of the further damaged units followed once communication and agreements were established with the insurance adjuster.
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This catastrophic fire started accidentally in a natural gas-powered furnace in a third-floor apartment. About 30 people were in the garden-style condominium building when the fire erupted, setting off what residents described as “explosions” and large cracks in the walls that made people think there had been an earthquake.
Fortunately, the number of residents at home was lower than usual because of the holiday weekend. Minkoff Company immediately began building stabilization work and was hired to reconstruct the roof, common areas, and 20 apartment units.
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A Sunday afternoon fire in Germantown, MD went undetected until fire alarms alerted residents to the flames that had climbed three stories behind their condominium’s walls. After 75 firefighters extinguished the blaze, six families were left homeless and another six were temporarily displaced.
Minkoff Company was immediately hired to perform emergency building stabilization and prevent further damage. Ultimately, Minkoff Company settled the loss with the condominium’s insurance company and performed the restoration of the three-story, garden-style building that housed the six destroyed condominium units.
On a cold December morning, a car crashed into a building at Rollins Park Apartments, smashing a natural gas meter which resulted in an explosion and three-alarm fire.
Over 125 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene. The fire quickly grew in intensity, aided by the leaking natural gas and a strong wind. When the flames were finally extinguished, four townhouses were completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, and several others received significant damage and were unfit to occupy. All told, seven families were displaced from their homes.
Because of advanced planning and preparations with the property management company through our Quick Response Program, Minkoff Company was on the scene within minutes to stabilize the buildings and begin the recovery process. Just several weeks after the fire, Minkoff Company completed restoration on four of the damaged units and completely rebuilt two of the townhouse units over the course of the next nine months.
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When a three-alarm fire raged through the 49-unit, six-story Beacon Condominium, more than 2,000,000 gallons of water were required to extinguish it. The resulting damage was far reaching – the roof and all interior finishes were completely destroyed and structural damage was quite extensive. The Beacon Condominium board immediately formed an ad-hoc committee and interviewed a dozen contractors before making the decision to hire Minkoff Company.
Throughout the work on this $3,500,000 project, Minkoff Company paid special attention to restoring all parts of the building, which was built in 1912. As a result of the roof fire and water damage, all drywall insulation and wiring was replaced. Stripped down to its masonry shell, with only the floor joists in place, the building interiors were removed and all 49 units were rebuilt. Many units were actually improved, as the condominium board opted to finance the project.
