New Jersey's building code under fire

Newark, New Jersey

A FAST-MOVING fire that destroyed part of an AvalonBay Communities Inc apartment complex in Edgewater, New Jersey, has sparked lawsuits and calls by elected officials to consider overhauling the state building code.

Fire officials said maintenance workers using a blowtorch triggered the Jan 21 blaze, which destroyed the larger of the two buildings in the 408-unit complex because of the lightweight wood construction. No one died, but hundreds of people were displaced in the complex across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Alessandro DeMarco and his wife, Amanda Bayer, were forced to move out for four days. They sued for negligence on Thursday in federal court in Newark, New Jersey.