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Re: Code Change
Well it seems they are going to have non-combustible soffits. It is only going to work as long as they are not vented. Around here everything is soffit and ridge vents.
No one died in the Pine Knoll fire, but it was one of the biggest in Raleigh's history, requiring more than 150 firefighters to put it out.
The building code council has already proposed one change in response to the fire -- the first townhouse-specific amendment that North Carolina has put forward, Tingen said.
During its meetings earlier this month, the council introduced an emergency rule requiring builders to use soffits made of noncombustible material on townhouses. Soffits run from the top of an exterior house wall to the outer edge of the roof.
In the Pine Knoll fire, investigators say, flames crept up the vinyl siding of the townhouses and entered into attics through the soffits. The council concluded that noncombustible soffits would have delayed the fire from rapidly spreading into townhouse attics and adjacent units. The rule, which is expected to go into effect April 5, will apply to townhouses that have not yet been issued building permits. Any further amendments to the building code will likely depend on whether state officials can be convinced that the changes are not an overreaction to a rare event.
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