plaza story high rise office building philadelphia pennsylvania united_states feet tower designed completed building demolished result damage fire began february fire began 22nd floor oil soaked ignited blaze control hours philadelphia firefighters fought blaze struggled lack power skyscraper insufficient water pressure building firefighters died alarm fire heavy smoke efforts inside eventually abandoned fears structure collapse fire brought control reached 30th floor floors automatic installed held fire started burning finally brought control day started blaze seriously damaged building destroying floors damaged neighboring buildings years fire sat vacant damaged right center philadelphia business district building caught litigation owners insurance company pay owners repairs demolition proceed businesses near high rise closed moved city sued owners building lawsuits settled building declared total loss began dismantled time demolition tallest destroyed building world building story high rise office building designed construction feet tower began completed approved occupancy built corner 15th street philadelphia pennsylvania million high rise built adjacent philadelphia faced street rectangular feet long feet wide contained square feet floors mechanical floors structure underground levels building structure composed steel concrete facade granite curtain wall roof eastern connected building adjacent point plans build structure south share elevator banks high rise came plans mainly site having owner northwest corner property bronze sculpture called designed abstract sculpture damaged fire built philadelphia enforcing building code distinction high rises buildings philadelphia adopted new codes required automatic systems new buildings time construction built service levels ground plans place automatic placed building november floors completely protected floors installed floor renovations request tenants building owners plans install floors renovated high rise originally known named developed building joint venture high rise tallest building built philadelphia early 1930s sold share property known plaza moved offices building pennsylvania earlier year subsequently sold building joint venture partners bought property million dutch pension fund paid million enter partners percent stake building plaza bank bought renamed replaced lead tenant major tenant square feet plaza corporate headquarters fire february fire began 22nd floor building saturday night people building time engineer security guards workers vacant office earlier day workers left pile soaked oil floor oil generated heat set fire nearby smoke cover entire floor time fire alarm went fire established fire alarm sounded building engineer went 22nd floor investigate elevator reached 22nd floor engineer found heavy smoke heat prevented reaching elevator controls needed return lobby engineer escaped security guard lobby recall elevator fire safety controls second security guard 30th floor alarm went ground floor lobby guard returned alarm monitoring service called alarm initially went confirm fire called came street saw smoke coming building alarm company alerted fire department fire engine unit arrive scene reported seeing heavy smoke flames windows firefighters started fighting fire grown flames breaking windows building problems firefighters began experiencing problems reached fire time firefighters reached 11th floor building lost power heat blaze damaged electrical cables emergency generator began producing electricity despite efforts restore power building electricity entirety event forced firefighters work darkness aid elevators addition provided power neighboring basement eventually shut water accumulation basement firefighters directing water streams building aid elevators firefighters hampered discovered pressure relief adjusted installed building allowed psi pressure pressure relief giving psi discharge pressure sufficient fight fire hours fire technician adjust arrived scene area building cleared pedestrians personnel falling glass debris falling debris dangerous firefighters cross perimeter building enter leave high rise lines stretched building damaged falling debris struck debris seriously injured tending lines lost firefighters second hour fire spread 23rd 24th floors heavy smoke building captain firefighters assigned level firefighters went center staircase 22nd floor soon heavy smoke 30th floor attempts direct firefighters radio soon captain requested permission break window ventilation followed message captain permission break window given search rescue effort initiated search teams sent lower floors searched 30th floor find missing firefighters teams moved upper levels team got lost 38th floor ran air self contained breathing apparatus team rescued search team placed roof helicopter rescue attempts continued helicopter operations suspended heavy smoke thermal drafts caused blaze helicopter crew searched exterior building february helicopter spotted broken window 28th floor located area seen street rescue team sent spot found missing firefighters unconscious air firefighters brought medical set 20th floor attempts unsuccessful firefighters pronounced dead scene 1st box alarm assignment box 15th engine engine water supply engine line duty deaths company ladder battalion chief battalion chief 2nd alarm assignment engine engine engine engine ladder ladder battalion chief lobby officer battalion chief division deputy chief air unit 3rd alarm assignment engine water supply engine water supply engine battalion chief chemical unit chemical unit 4th alarm assignment engine water supply engine engine engine water supply engine water supply chief air unit 5th alarm assignment engine engine engine engine ladder car chief department light wagon 6th alarm assignment engine engine engine water supply engine trailer 7th alarm assignment engine engine engine water supply 8th engine water supply engine engine ladder battalion chief battalion chief car 9th alarm assignment engine engine engine engine ladder tower ladder battalion chief chief 10th alarm assignment engine engine engine engine ladder 11th engine engine reserve engine reserve 12th engine reserve engine reserve engine engine water supply engine engine water supply ladder rescue reactivated company incident battalion chief battalion chief division deputy chief fire end fire going sixth hour spread 26th floor inadequate water pressure coming firefighters stretched building help fight fire taken fire technician arrived fix water pressure improved streams fire floors contained hours fire firefighters able control fire 22nd 24th floors fire control 25th 26th floors spreading upwards structural damage observed inside building firefighters structural engineer led fears damaged floors collapse order evacuate building issued fire commissioner building completely evacuated evacuation fire suppression efforts left water streams directed building neighboring centre square fire spread stopped reached 30th floor fire affected floor automatic extinguished fire 30th floor prevented continued spread contained automatic running fuel fire declared control fire lasted nineteen hours destroyed floors killed firefighters injured called brought engine companies ladder companies specialized units firefighters fire caused estimated million direct property loss fire february city officials determined danger collapse structural damage horizontal steel beams floor sections fire damaged floors extreme fire exposure beams twisted cracks appeared concrete floors overall structure stable able support weight building thermal expansion steel frame caused granite panels building facade streets buildings plaza closed story story shops chestnut street damaged falling debris sat unused years demolished neighboring called plaza experienced extensive water damage forcing closure building bank building reopened month later rest tower remained vacant years roads building closed months fire including portion philadelphia major streets removal real estate market sudden relocation building tenants offices philadelphia took square feet real estate market city office vacancy rate percent end months fire vacancy rate lowered percent december mayor signed law requiring building feet tall taller installed estimated buildings city affected law vacant years fire plaza stood middle philadelphia vacant fate building air building owners insurance company prepared proceed repairs control repairs cost partners proposing building 19th floor rebuilding fire claimed 19th level repaired cutting million repair costs owner million estimate proposed taking reconstruction partners spent million securing plaza spent month security guards utilities engineers building stood lawsuits behalf sixteen people businesses claiming losses result blaze filed shortly fire february million agreement reached workers businesses affected fire admitting liability million minus legal fees paid meant losses businesses workers surrounding damaged buildings declared year philadelphia_inquirer burned tower embarrassment city according editorial editorial said feeling worse seen background film philadelphia fire left area commercial void nearly major store area closed property values fell neighboring property owners owner damaged buildings waiting decision future building going development plans city philadelphia sued partners saying environmental hazard demolished repaired city mayor afraid partners settled money leave building march partners settled receiving million legal issues settled announced building dismantled announcement demolition city dropped lawsuit owners unable building building density area partners began eighteen month million process building early process began owners hoped buy property damaged portion structure removed hope soon abandoned process finished time demolition tallest building destroyed currently seventh ranking twin towers singer building original new_york chicago liberty street new_york replacement site bought site converted parking lot construction new building held feud neighboring site chestnut street chestnut street site morris building smaller buildings sat feud chief executive chestnut street developer began settled dispute march construction story replacement residences began residences opened january memorial unveiled october skyscraper honoring firefighters died fire memorial features plaques names
One Meridian Plaza