Mall Cinemas damaged by blaze

No one was injured in the fire, but the scenario could have been different had the fire broken out 12 hours earlier or 12 hours later. The building does not have a fire alarm system or sprinklers because it was constructed before South Strabane Township adopted the federal Building Officials Code Administration in 1997.

"It was a blessing that the building was unoccupied," said township fire Chief Scott Reese. "Unless someone went to each screen, no one would have known there was a fire.

"This building was grandfathered because it was built prior to the township supervisors enacting the code," the chief said. "It has just the basic state Department of Labor and Industry requirements such as a required number of exits and emergency lighting. There are no sprinklers or fire alarm system in the building."

Buildings of general assembly, such as a theater, built after 1997 are required to have a fire alarm and sprinkler system.

The building was inspected in the summer of 2001 by the fire chief and township zoning officer, and it met all state regulations, said Tilda Comstock, spokeswoman for J.J. Gumberg Co., which manages the mall. Comstock said the building met the requirements for appropriate exits and having fire extinguishers throughout the building.

"We are discussing our options with the ownership of the mall," Comstock said when asked if installation of a fire alarm system would be included in the renovations. "After we talk with them, a determination can be made."

Because the building was built before 1997, Reese said the owners can't be compelled to install a fire alarm system. The only requirements for the building are those set by the state Department of Labor and Industry. Comstock believes the theater was built in 1986.

But even with a working alarm system, Reese said it can be difficult to convince people to leave a building when the alarm sounds.

"We respond to a fire alarm at Wal-Mart, for example, and can't get people to leave the store," Reese said.

Just before 9:30 a.m., dispatchers at the Washington County 911 dispatch center started receiving numerous calls of heavy smoke coming from the theater. The theater, adjacent to Interstate 70, is in a building separate from Washington Mall.

Police Chief Don Zofchak said that as he responded to the call, he could see the smoke from the theater on Murtland Avenue by the state police barracks.

Firefighters stretched the fire hose across the parking lot from a hydrant next to the former Giant Eagle. Onlookers would pull into the parking lot for a few minutes before leaving.

The fire was contained to the mechanical room. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 45 minutes. The state police fire marshal ruled the cause as accidental and caused by a malfunction in the electrical backup system.

Reese said there was heavy smoke damage throughout the building and some minor fire damage to two sections of the roof and the projector room.

Assisting at the scene were firefighters from Canton and Chartiers townships and the city of Washington. Reese also called for members of the Rapid Intervention Team from the Bentleyville and Houston fire departments. The specially trained team members do not fight fires, but assist in the event of a building collapse or firefighter being trapped inside the building.

Ross Falvo of Cinema Consultants and Services International, which operates the bargain theater, did not return a telephone call Monday. Falvo reopened the theater complex in June. Carmikes closed the theater in March 2001 after the company declared bankruptcy.

Comstock said no date for reopening the theater has been set.