GULF TOWER STILL VACANT AFTER FIRE
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire responds to a blaze at the Gulf Building at Grant and Seventh Avenue in Downtown on May 19.
A five- alarm fire that erupted at the Gulf Tower in Downtown last month was determined to have been caused by a failure in the building’s electrical system, police said.
The blaze on May 19 brought more than 80 firefighters to Grant Street and took about two hours to get under control. Public safety officials initially said a transformer caught fire in the building’s basement.
According to the fire investigation unit, the fire was ultimately caused by a failure of the secondary phase of the Gulf Tower’s electrical system.
The system is not a part of Duquesne Light’s infrastructure, officials pointed out.
Firefighters told the chief that conditions in the basement were incredibly hot and very smoky. They also reported a lot of debris.
The fire was put out by 11:30 a.m. the day of the blaze.
In the wake of the blaze, the city has posted a notice of condemnation on the skyscraper. It has been vacant since the fire.
Sarah D. Kinter, director of the department of permits, licenses and inspections, said posting such a notice “is standard procedure to prevent occupancy. In this case, critical life-safety systems are down, and occupancy is prohibited.”
Rugby Realty, the Gulf Tower owner, has more than 200 people working at the building to restore those systems and other damage, said Larry Walsh, chief operating officer and principal. Rugby intends to increase that number to 300, he added.
“We’re doing everything we can as fast as we can without regard to cost to get the building back open as soon as possible,” he said.
There’s no timetable yet for the completion of repairs, Mr. Walsh said, noting that systems knocked out by the fire are still being evaluated. Rugby cannot bring tenants back until the city has inspected the completed restoration work and given its go-ahead, he said.
“We’re moving forward as fast as humanly possible, and we’re throwing as much resources at it as possible,” he said.