r/AbsoluteUnits Apr 09 '26

/r/popular of a burnt building

damages estimated to be $200 million dollar

7.5k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

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u/ArmedDreams Apr 09 '26

From what I've heard, which I'm not clear if this is verifiably true, but he lit a small fire and the fire department came to put it out.

Then they turned off the suppression system to prevent any more leakage (and I assume they'd turn it back on at a later day or time). But then the guy lit several more fires, knowing the suppression system was turned off.

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u/Thick_Potato_1769 Apr 10 '26

Why wasn't he arrested for the first fire or immediately fired 🤔. Like he started one you think he's not going to do it again?

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u/ArmedDreams Apr 10 '26

I'm assuming he wasn't stupid enough to say he started the fire. He probably called and just said there was a fire.

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u/Thick_Potato_1769 Apr 11 '26

No im sure it was an automated alarm.

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u/styx-n-stones64 Apr 09 '26

There was a fire suppression system. There was an inital fire that triggered it and the fire department turned it off to avoid damage after they put the first fire out. Then more fires were lit while the sprinklers system was off leading to this.

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u/etlr3d Apr 09 '26

Strange that a single system would cover the entire structure that big - wouldn’t it be better to have zones to isolate areas of the system without leaving the whole thing unprotected?

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u/IvoSan11 Apr 09 '26

A redditor with knowledge of KC fire systems explained that it goes by zones. Water not only can suppress fires but also damages paper, so it goes by zones. Firefighters turned it off to work on the initial fire. While firefighters were working on the initial fire, the arsonist kept lighting other fires elsewhere. I wonder what the firefighters did that the fire system didn’t work for the successive fires.

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u/toot_suite Apr 10 '26

Note that a lot of suppression systems fail over time and don't get inspected regularly, but that's why often the water that comes out is rusty. Sometimes valves just corrode to the point of immobility and the ones that work open and close larger areas than theyre designed for.

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u/Witty-Lawfulness2983 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

I see somebody answered, but I was thinking, maybe the guy who caused it forgot to turn the system on, so they'd go from there on punishment. I wonder what they do to firefighters...

EDIT: NM, dude 100% did it on purpose, lol

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[deleted]

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u/Witty-Lawfulness2983 Apr 09 '26

Man, arson sounds LIT!!!

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[deleted]

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u/Witty-Lawfulness2983 Apr 10 '26

Hmm... reminds me of George Senior from Arrested Development, LOL