Minnesota lawmakers in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., say they want to revive a push to retrofit high-rise buildings with sprinklers after their last effort was stalled by the pandemic.
One year after the fatal fire at the Cedar High Apartments in Minneapolis, an investigation by state fire officials shows that sprinklers and other safety features could have saved lives. Built before modern fire safety codes, the 50-year-old building lacked a full sprinkler system.
In the weeks following the fire, state Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis, unveiled a bill that would have required property owners to add sprinklers to most high-rise buildings by 2032.
“I think that bill had momentum. It was moving,” said Tom Brace, a former state fire marshal who now heads the Minnesota chapter of the National Fire Sprinkler Association.
When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Minnesota, “the issue overwhelmed sprinklers,” he said.