# Fire at Powhatan Plantation, Wmbg,Va



## pedro47 (Apr 2, 2006)

Fire today at Powhatan Plantation destory a whole timeshare building.  No one was hurt.  The fire destory the whole timeshare building complex and about seven (7) automobiles were completly destroy.

The Virginia Pilot and the Peninsula Daily Press are the located newspapers. They should round complete news articles on Monday about the fire.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 2, 2006)

*Powhatan Plantation - Phone 757-220-1200*

If anyone has any additional information please post 
If you are an owner or have an exchange coming up

Here is the telephone number for 
Sunterra`s Powhatan Plantation 
Phone 757-220-1200


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## KenK (Apr 2, 2006)

Here?:

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=4714188&nav=menu45_2


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## markel (Apr 2, 2006)

*Only One Building??*

Was only 1 building destroyed in the fire??  I just reserved an exchange for mid May for friends and hope there will be no problems .


Mark


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## Spence (Apr 2, 2006)

14 units sounds like one building of seven C/D units.  Had to have been a big/fast fire to take seven cars, too.  My heart goes out to those who were immediately affected and had to jump or be rescued.  

Maybe now they'll have a reason to go smoke free!


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## Spence (Apr 2, 2006)

Building 84
has units 385C/D - 391C/D
non-renovated units

I own in Bldg 83 and 85 among others, but not 84.


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## markel (Apr 2, 2006)

Thanks for the update Spence !!!!!!


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## Don (Apr 3, 2006)

Here's the link to the Virginian Pilot site.  The link to the story is in the Virginia news block.

http://www.hamptonroads.com/pilotonline/


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## skylerlee (Apr 3, 2006)

*Please post exact link*

Don,

I searched all over the link you gave as I was interested in reading about
the fire at Powhatan. Can't find it. Can you email it to me or post the exact and complete link here.

Thanks.

Ruth
rh213@comcast.net


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## KenK (Apr 3, 2006)

Ruth:

  It's gone now.  It was there this AM.


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## NTHC (Apr 3, 2006)

Ruth,
Try the link that KenK posted.  I just pulled it up from that one.


Cindy


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## Spence (Apr 3, 2006)

*Statement Regarding Fire At Sunterra’s Powhatan Plantation Resort, Williamsburg Va*

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2006

STATEMENT REGARDING FIRE AT SUNTERRA’S POWHATAN PLANTATION RESORT, WILLIAMSBURG VA

LAS VEGAS, April 2, 2006 -- Sunterra Corporation (NASDAQ: SNRR) today issued the following statement regarding a fire which took place at its Powhatan Plantation Resort in Williamsburg VA:

During the early morning of April 2, a fire took place in an accommodation building at our Powhatan resort in Williamsburg, VA.  Fourteen two-bedroom units were destroyed but the remaining 805 units at the resort were unaffected.  All guests were safely evacuated and no serious injuries were sustained by our guests or staff.  There will be a full investigation into the cause of the fire and until that is complete we do not expect to be able to comment further on the source or nature of the fire.  We are extremely grateful that this unfortunate incident did not result in any serious injuries or loss of life and commend our resort staff and the fire department for their prompt and efficient response.

About Sunterra 

Sunterra is one of the world's largest vacation ownership companies with more than 317,000 owner families and nearly 100 branded or affiliated vacation ownership resorts throughout the continental United States and Hawaii, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Mexico.  Sunterra news releases, as well as additional news and information on the company, can be found at www.sunterra.com. 

CONTACT:   Marilyn Windsor
	       (702) 304- 7149


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2006)

*Additional Powhatan Plantation Fire News Stories*

Fire Rips through James City Time Share Resort 

Two-Alarm Fire Destroys Resort Complex 

Portion of Resort Destroyed by Fire 

TheDailyPress Report of the fire 

JCC Blaze destroys Apartments 


Richard


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## Don (Apr 4, 2006)

skylerlee said:
			
		

> Don,
> 
> I searched all over the link you gave as I was interested in reading about
> the fire at Powhatan. Can't find it. Can you email it to me or post the exact and complete link here.
> ...



Ruth, I was going to, but it was so long it wrapped onto the second line.  So I opted to do it the way I did.
Richard's Daily Press report link is the same story that was run in the Virginian Pilot, however.


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## KHolleger (Apr 4, 2006)

*My Experience*

My Experience from a June 2, 2001 Visit:

FIRE ALARM The worst part of staying in unit 38 was the fire alarms. On the Saturday night of our arrival the alarm went off at 3:00 am. I called the operator who, “didn’t know what to tell me. He said he would call security. I waited 20 minutes. No response so I called security myself. No answer. I called the operator back who hadn’t been able to get up with security either. Security finally came 15 minutes later (35 minutes after my call). The security guard said, “I don’t know what to tell you. The maintenance man lives 22 miles away in Newport News. He doesn’t want to come in. He says maybe it’s the battery and says you should take out the battery.” My husband and I didn’t feel safe taking out the battery in case of a real fire. Then we would have no warning. The maintenance man had no way of knowing what was causing the alarm to go off. Also, Powhatan had no way of knowing when an alarm goes off in any of their units unless the guest calls them. A very unsafe practice, in my opinion, especially given the state of disrepair we found the Powhatan units to be in. Maintenance man, Jim Mavis, showed up at 5:30 am. We’d been waiting up for him since 3:00 am. He looked over the unit and found a problem with the heating/ air conditioning unit which “may have caused the alarm to sound.” The problem was fixed on Sunday. On Tuesday night at 4:00 am, the alarm went off again. I called the front desk. “I don’t know what to tell you.” was his response. He called his supervisor then called me back. “Maintenance will be here in an hour.” (They never did show up.) All this with the alarm blaring in the background. Because I knew that they had found a possible problem before which caused the alarm to go off, and given the 2 and a half hours it took maintenance to get there last time, I did not feel safe staying in the unit and waiting. I said, “I hope we don’t burn up by then. Something’s wrong. The alarms have got new batteries. They were replaced on Sunday. We’re getting out of here and I’m calling the fire department.” We woke up our crying scared kids and put them in the car. I called 911. The 911 operator said that a one hour wait for maintenance was “unacceptable”. She said she would call the front desk and if she couldn’t get any better results from them, she would send out the fire trucks. Fire trucks arrived about 4:40 am, so I guess she didn’t get results. Firemen investigated and could not see a reason for the alarm going off. “Could be dirt, dust, or bugs. Spiders are known to set off alarms.”, said the fireman. So much for a clean unit. We were told we could move ourselves to another unit “if we wanted.” Of course we wanted! My husband and I wanted Powhatan staff to help with the move so my husband walked to the front desk to ask. They said “no”, we’d have to move ourselves. They didn’t have the manpower. Only 2 people are on duty at night, a security guard and a desk clerk for over 400 units. No offer to help us later in the day when they had the manpower, we were on our own. So, after the fire trucks left at 5:00 am, we moved sleepy, crying kids. The security guard Tuesday night was very nice and helpful, but he had to get back to his post. I do not fault him or the front desk clerk. They really did have their hands full. It is not their fault that the place is under-staffed. My husband, teenage daughter and I started packing up and moving to the second unit, #71. I started seeing resort personnel in pick-up trucks and golf carts around 7:00 am. Sure would have been nice to use one of those! We finished around 7:30 am. Around 8:00 am, I went over to the Registration building to see if I could find the person in charge. I was introduced to Rodney Bowens. Mr. Bowens seemed very sympathetic and promised to get back to me before we left for Busch Gardens that day, by the end of the day at the latest. Mr. Bowens “prided himself on getting to the bottom of a problem and finding a solution.”. We didn’t hear from Mr. Bowens that day or the next. I called him on Friday but he was “out on the grounds”. We came home never having heard back from Mr. Bowens. I told him I wanted to be compensated for our loss (not only of sleep, but we were unable to enjoy the Busch Gardens tickets we had already purchased). He told me, “No” flat out. He said, “Maintenance issues happen. You have to learn to expect it.” I feel he was overly-concerned about the night personnels’ handling of the situation and got the impression that he was going to try to pass the fault on to them. I hope none of them get fired because of lack of training, clear policies, and understaffing on management’s part.


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## Kozman (Apr 4, 2006)

*Impact*

I wonder what the short and long term impact this fire will have on trading value or other factors.  Are the owners of these units out of luck or will the resort try to provide HOA or other units for those affected?  Insurance?  Another special assessment?


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2006)

*Another 2001 Fire at Powhatan Plantation*

K,

As I read your thread, I thought of this other link I discovered that talks about
another 2001 Fire at Powhatan Plantation 

Based on your experience, the Nov 2001 golf-cart fire and the more recent Apr 2006 fire at Powhatan Plantation, it certainly appears that they need to review fire safety.  It's been fortunate that to date, guests have not been more seriously injured.  Powhatan property certainly appears to be at higher risk.

Very disquieting.


Richard


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## timeos2 (Apr 4, 2006)

*Great question. Who pays? Who planned?*



			
				Kozman said:
			
		

> I wonder what the short and long term impact this fire will have on trading value or other factors.  Are the owners of these units out of luck or will the resort try to provide HOA or other units for those affected?  Insurance?  Another special assessment?



This is one of the most provocative posts I've seen recently. It will be very interesting to see how this is handled,  Thankfully no one was injured so the focus can now rightfully go to the property damage and costs to rebuild.  Since this resort has had virtually zero effective input from the individual owners, what exactly has been done to protect the ownership from a property diaster such as this and who pays the costs? Let's hope we are kept up to date as to exactly what the general ownership is told and what the costs are as this plays out.  We may be able to learn a lot about how companies such as Westgate, Orange Lake, Marriott and Disney, among others, who are SO anxious to keep control, react when faced with million dollar plus losses. Have they really done the primary duty of a management and Board by protecting the owners interests all these years? Putting in place reasonable insurance and liability packages, proper deductables and reserves?  

Lets see what happens and who gets blamed not for the fire but the resulting   recovery costs.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 4, 2006)

*Local News - Daily Press dot com  - See Video*

*Electrical short suspected in blaze*

DAILY PRESS PHOTO 
April 4, 2006 

Firefighters say the blaze that destroyed 14 townhouse-style 
condominiums at Powhatan Plantation Resort on Sunday 
*may have been caused** by an electrical malfunction.*

Fire investigators haven't ruled out other causes, but James City Fire District Chief Buster Canaday said Monday that investigators received statements from residents of the burned units that were consistent with a possible electrical shortage.

A circuit breaker apparently tripped some time before the fire indicating some type of electrical problem, Canaday said.

Powhatan property managers relocated the 26 people to vacant units. 
The Red Cross also helped some residents.

Eight cars parked outside the burning condos burned during the fire. 
No one suffered any serious injuries.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-98202sy0apr04,0,7281192.story


*To see - Video - Go Here - Click on Play Button - Give it a minute*

http://www.wavytv10.com/video/timesharefire.htm


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2006)

*Another way to Add a Link*



			
				Don said:
			
		

> Ruth, I was going to, but it was so long it wrapped onto the second line.  So I opted to do it the way I did.
> Richard's Daily Press report link is the same story that was run in the Virginian Pilot, however.



Hi Don

In case you're not aware, if you want to add a long URL to a thread in the future - There's an easy way to do it.  Copy the URL.  When you are typing your TUG message, look slightly above the square white text area and you will see some symbols in the taupe area. Just to the right of what looks to me like a yellow envelope with some mountains is an icon that looks like a world-globe and a couple pieces of chain-link. Click on the globe icon - a box will open that says
"Enter the text to be displayed for the link (optional)"  Type in your choice of words in the underlying entry box. Click OK. A new box will open that instructs you to "enter the URL of your link".  Since you previously copied the URL, now you can Paste the URL into the entry box.  Click OK.    Your entry will now be in your text message and when you hit the "Submit Reply" icon, it 
will be converted into a blue hyperlink in your message.  This technique is also an elegant way of handling long URL's.

Try a few practice to get the hang of it if you haven't already.

Richard


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## dougp26364 (Apr 5, 2006)

A fast moving fire makes it sound like flame retardent materials weren't even an after thought. Hotels have requirements to reduce risks. I wonder if the same applies to Timeshare residences and why the sprinkler system (does Powhatan have a sprinkler system?) didn't slow it down.

Fast moving sounds like lots of fuel for the fire or maybe it had an accelerant to make it travel faster. It will be interesting to see what the investigation turns up. Shoddy workmanship and cheap materials, intentionally set or some other possibility?


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## MusicMan (Apr 5, 2006)

> Maybe now they'll have a reason to go smoke free!



Maybe now they'll hire competent electricians!


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## Don (Apr 5, 2006)

Thanks, Richard.  I've printed your instructions and I'll try it the next time I post a link.


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## Spence (Apr 5, 2006)

timeos2 said:
			
		

> This is one of the most provocative posts I've seen recently.


What, you don't think Kathy's account of a 2001 smoke alarm malfunction or Richard's account of a short in a golf cart in 2001
is provacative?  

How about the story that they're hiding the fact that they found some evidence of accellerant and it is theorized that the angry former general manager (fired on 17Mar06 for failing a drug test among other things) is somehow involved.  Is that provacative enough?

Seriously,  there were no codes for sprinklers or firewalls when these buildings were built (there is now).  There is insurance.  They are working feverishly on getting cleaned up.  They aren't doing a real good job of communicating to the owners and Club members with reservations, but say they'll have some information out in 10 days or so.  They have a website that is supposedly used for communications with owners www.powhatanowners.com  that's what they should be using to get immediate info out.  They won't allow it to be used for owner rentals or resales, so you'd think with what little they put on it that it'd be easy to be kept up to date, they don't (Jan RCI grades are still the most recent shown while feb/mar have come and gone).  Some general questions that should be answered there sooner, rather than later are:

*I am a traditional weeks owner of a unit in the burned building, will the resort/Sunterra provide replacement accomodations for my week?

I am a traditional weeks owner of a unit in the burned building, I already deposited my week with RCI, will the resort/Sunterra provide replacement accomodations for my week or will RCI honor the banking anyway?

I am an owner of a unit in the burned building and my unit has been committed to  Club Sunterra,  Will I still have my points to use in Club Sunterra?

I am a member of Club Sunterra and have a reservation for a 2BR/4BR unit that is based on inventory that now does not exist.  Will the resort/Sunterra provide replacement accomodations for my week?  If not, when do they plan to notify me that I do not have accomodations?

I am an owner of a unit not affected by the fire, am I responsible for some portion of the deductible for the insurance?*


I have heard that they have someone from corporate risk management looking into the usage stuff and making sure that they handle this correctly.  When they have the answers they will post an update on the web site. They will also be sending letters to the owners in that building to give them all the information they need.  Additionally, I have heard that the decision has already been made that Marketing and Corporate rentals will be the first reservations that will be affected, and that every owner, Club member, and Owner Rental reservation will be accommodated that is possible.


I have also heard that the replacement building will be a carbon copy of the Bldgs 90-91 which are currently under construction.  these plans are approved by the county and meet all codes.


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## timeos2 (Apr 5, 2006)

*Scores aren't RCI*



			
				Spence said:
			
		

> They won't allow it to be used for owner rentals or resales, so you'd think with what little they put on it that it'd be easy to be kept up to date, they don't (Jan RCI grades are still the most recent shown while feb/mar have come and gone).


I see they have posted March numbers now but those aren't RCI scores they are the internal Sunterra score cards. In the past we found that they didn't necessarily track up or down with the real RCI results.


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## Spence (Apr 5, 2006)

timeos2 said:
			
		

> I see they have posted March numbers now but those aren't RCI scores they are the internal Sunterra score cards. In the past we found that they didn't necessarily track up or down with the real RCI results.


You're right, those are Sunterra scores and not RCI scores, but it was just an example of the site not being kept up.  Obviously they had the scores (maybe they read TUG?)  It will be interesting to see if/when they post fire related info!


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## Spence (Apr 5, 2006)

Spence said:
			
		

> just an example of the site not being kept up.


Another example Sunterra News - Keeping you up-to-date with all the latest developments from Sunterra is the Sunterra Corporate site where their last newsworthy item was on 13Sep05 (St Martin gets a facelift).  Hey, they put out one out on 2Apr that I posted previously (I forget how I 'found' it) that ended with "*Sunterra news releases, as well as additional news and information on the company, can be found at www.sunterra.com*."  WHERE???


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## Miss Marty (Apr 6, 2006)

*Powhatan 3 Bedroom Single Family Houses 8/8*

Powhatan Plantation has some Three Bedroom Single Family Units
that are more like 3 story townhouses - The third bedroom with its
2 twin beds has no windows or doors  -  Kids love to sleep upstairs

If something were to happen and the steps leading up/down 
to the third floor were blocked. How would you/they get out? 

Both the second floor and third floor lofts have balconies
where you or your family can jump down in to the Living Room.. 
But there is no way out of the second or third floor 
(other than the interior steps or out the 1st & 2nd floor windows)

Knowing that the units are not up to todays fire codes 
Please be careful and think about an escape plan next time 
you stay at Powhatan Plantation (or any other timeshare) 

Powhatan Plantation with its 256 acres is one the nicest timeshare
properties in the Williamsburg Virginia Area. (Beautiful Landscaping)

I just hope that they will try to keep the units in better 
condition and do more Regular Scheduled Maintenance 
on the Electical, Heating and Air Conditioning Systems.


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## Spence (Apr 7, 2006)

Powhatan has posted the gist of that short news release at the PPOA website but Sunterra has not posted anything at their site.

If you were to call Club Sunterra for a Powhatan reservation, they note that there was a fire - if you ask, but otherwise just say reservations at Powhatan are 'closed' until September.  I'm sure they're still trying to figure out how to accomodate everyone.  I released some reservations for 3Jun earlier this week expecting to see them show back up in inventory online, they didn't,  and they would not accept an "inventory request" for Powhatan.


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## Spence (Apr 9, 2006)

Saw the first fallout of the fire as far as reservations go.  Someone with a reservation directly with the resort 24-30Jun contacted me for a rental because theirs had been cancelled.  Don't know if their rental was from Sunterra corporate inventory or owner inventory placed with the resort.


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## hvsteve1 (Apr 13, 2006)

I just ran into this post as I have been off the boards for a few days. What really scares me is the old B unit...the upstairs of the original three bedroom. We stayed in one years ago, when we traded in and ended up buying one of the first C/D units. For those of you who have not had the experience, you go up a stairwell to the second floor, which is really just a walled off balcony of the three bedroom. There is a small living room and tiny min-kitchen. The main bedroom is, I believe, the only room with a window and I don't even recall if it opens. Up a narrow staircase is the loft. The whole place is almost a windowless box with a narrow stairwell as the only way out. At least the unlucky souls in the C/D units that burned had a rear balcony to go to and, worst case scenario, have to jump ten or fifteen feet to the lawn, or be rescued with a ladder. I haven't a clue how anyone would escape from a burning B unit. Maybe PP, Sunterra and the board should consider the future of the use of those units now that we have seen how fast these buildings can burn.


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## Miss Marty (Apr 27, 2006)

We stopped by Powhatan Plantation to see the remains of 
the building/units that were destroyed by fire last month. 

Not much left!


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