Construction site shut down following WBTV Investigation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - An apartment construction site on Wilkinson Boulevard will be shut down for several weeks after a WBTV Investigation. A representative for the construction company building the apartments confirmed the project is on hold after a visit from the Charlotte Fire Department.

The construction site in question was featured during a recent WBTV Investigation raising questions about whether Charlotte builders are following North Carolina’s fire code and whether the fire marshal’s office is enforcing it.

WBTV Investigative Reporter David Hodges asked employees at the site whether they could provide a copy of their pre-fire plan. The document is required by the state fire code and is meant to help prevent and prepare for a possible fire.

WBTV has not been provided with a copy of the site’s pre-fire plan.

Exactly why the site was visited by the fire marshal’s office and shut down remains a mystery.

The contractor did not provide specific details about the problems on-site while answering WBTV’s questions. The contractor said his company has not been issued any citations by the fire marshal.

The Charlotte Fire Department is also not answering WBTV’s questions or fulfilling record requests for inspection records. No one from the fire department has answered an email or phone call from the WBTV Investigates Team since July 6.

It is unclear how many other construction sites are receiving extra attention from the fire marshal’s office since WBTV started investigating building and construction safety following the deadly SouthPark fire.

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