A proliferation of lightweight engineered wood in flooring and ceiling structures in residential developments in the Boston area poses more risks and challenges for fire departments, according to fire experts and fire officials.
Two large apartment buildings that have burned in the last month — one in Dorchester in June and the other in Waltham on Sunday — used the material in their structures.
In a fire, lightweight engineered wood burns and collapses much more quickly than traditional dimensional lumber, such as two-by-eight boards.
Engineered support beams are comprised of several layers of plywood-like material pressed into thick boards. And support joints in floors and ceilings are shaped like an I-beam, and are engineered out of two pieces of dimensional lumber with a piece of plywood between them.