NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One of Nashville's most prominent developers and the Nashville Fire Department appear to be at odds over water damage experienced during a high-rise fire over the weekend.
Sunday, a resident left a wicker basket on a stovetop, sparking a small fire and triggering the sprinkler system. Water trickled down three floors, causing another spark.
"When water made contact with that electrical system, it sparked a small fire," explained Tony Giarratana, developer and part-owner of the 505 building.
Giarratana says 51 units received extensive water damage and another 63 only need minor repairs. 236 units were totally unaffected.
"Everything’s our responsibility, and I take full responsibility for everything that happened in the building," said Giarratana, during a wide-ranging 45-minute news conference.
But the developer also claims some of the water damage could have been prevented if the Nashville Fire Department didn't turn off their backup generators, which keep the elevators operational.
"Had we had the emergency generators on instead of turned off, we would have been able to get to this area quickly, immediately turn off the valve, and turn off the flow of water. It took us time to climb the stairs," he explained.
When NewsChannel 5 reached out to the Nashville Fire Department for a response, they called their own news conference to defend their actions.
"In this instance the generator was working very hard to re-power this building and sending extra electrical currents back to this area," said Kendra Loney, spokesperson for NFD.
Loney claims the backup generator kicking on when the building lost power created a power surge.
"[Firefighters] reported seeing the door frame on the electrical room on the 24th floor actually being blown off the door," said Loney. "Inadvertently, they started to receive shocks."
At that point, a firefighter decided to turn off the backup generators. "We didn’t want to take that risk with the residents," said Loney. "That is the decision our firefighters stand by, that incident commander will stand by."
NewsChannel 5 reached back out to Giarratana, who stood by his story.
"We understand that was Nashville Fire's belief and we respect NFD's concern for the safety of its firefighters and our residents," wrote Giarratana. "Our emergency service supplied by our generator is totally independent and isolated from other electrical systems within the building and posted no risk."
Whatever the cause, the effect is unmistakable — even renters who didn't receive any damage haven't been able to return home because the building's electricity is still out. Giarratana says they're working around the clock to clean up the mess, and to make this right with their residents.
"It’s a very unfortunate event," he said. "I hope they choose to stay with us after we work through all these issues."
Residents who only received minor damage will be able to return to their unit and determine if they want immediate repairs or want to just move back in.
Residents in units heavily damaged by water will have the option to either terminate their lease, move into a sister property of the 505, or move elsewhere within the 505 building.
Giarratana hopes to have the electricity restored as early as Thursday.
