Is It Time To Start Building With Flame Retardant Materials?

The boardwalk was battered last October by Hurricane Sandy.  It was rebuilt five months ago. One of the top tourist attractions was Funtown Pier.  Funtown had not reopened since the October Hurricane and now it won't be reopening anytime soon.  Funtown Pier burned with at least 30 more buildings in Thursday fire. Unfortunately, Funtown Pier in Seaside Park may serve as an example for things to come if better building practices aren't followed. Funtown Pier collapsed after being engulfed in flames by a fire that had been burning for several hours. After the building collapsed, a construction vehicle parked near the site exploded. A log flume housing structure apparently burned for hours. Four blocks of bars, pizza shops and T-shirt stands on the Jersey shore boardwalk were destroyed. The fire sported flames that shot fireballs 50 feet into the air before crews got it under control. As many as 50 business owners suffered losses in Thursday's fire.

Governor Chris Christie said it would be "irresponsible for any of us to speculate" what caused the fire; however, since when has that ever stopped the media?  So here goes, sources suggest that the fire started in or under a frozen custard stand because of an electrical problem and the reason it spread so fast is because the building and boardwalk are not built with flame retardant materials.

Funtown Pier has been closed since it was damaged during Superstorm Sandy.  Unfortunately, now it won't be reopening for a long time.  Perhaps when the boardwalk is rebuilt, they will use flame retardant material when reconstructing the Pier and buildings.