Five residents of the now burned out Riverwalk at the Millennium complex in Conshohocken are suing the developer, its builder, the property manager, and a subcontractor over last week’s fire. The class-action suit alleges that the parties were careless and did not take the proper safety precautions at the construction site.

The fire has been ruled an accident. Investigators say the fire began after workers from Cavan Construction of Aston, Pennsylvania used acetylene torches to remove steel frames among the largely wood-constructed apartment buildings. According to firegroundaudio.com, a website that tracks firefighting calls, Cavan Construction once had a fire at its own headquarters. On October 21, 2005, engine companies responded to an automatic fire alarm. The website reported the following:

“Chief 72-9 arrived on scene with smoke evident from the rear bay doors. Command requested to upgrade the assignment to a working building fire, also requesting Companies 54 (Lenni Heights), 66 (Bethel) and 71 (Chester Heights) for manpower and 57 (Upland) for rapid intervention. Interior crews reported two vehicles well involved inside the building with numerous explosions. Crews placed two 1 3/4 lines in service inside the building. Crews had heavy smoke conditions on first and second floors. Rescue 66 assisted with positive pressure ventilation. Fire reported under control at 22:18 hours.”