London fire (3 Viewers)

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
Private landlord seems to have been warned and warned. So sad profits before life

Rip all those who have lost their lives
 

We'll_live_and_die

Super Moderator
It's amazing that it spread so quickly. Regulations nowadays say there must be a minimum of 60 minute fire resistance from one unit to the next.120 seperate units obviously means that it should've 5 whole days for the fire to spread to the whole block.

It's absolutely shocking and so sad for the people who have lost their lives and are injured.

Best wishes to everyone involved.
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
It's amazing that it spread so quickly. Regulations nowadays say there must be a minimum of 60 minute fire resistance from one unit to the next.120 seperate units obviously means that it should've 5 whole days for the fire to spread to the whole block.

It's absolutely shocking and so sad for the people who have lost their lives and are injured.

Best wishes to everyone involved.
Looks like the plastic used to reclad the building was not fire resistant. This looks like corporate manslaughter to me. Council, housing association and construction company should be in the dock. There's a blog that's been posted from the residents association where they warned of the danger.

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xcraigx

Well-Known Member
It seems there was plenty of people warning something like this was possible in that block of flats. How it could happen in this day and age is an absolute disgrace, those poor people dying in the most terrible way.

It's hard to know what is and what isn't misinformation but I've read the fire alarms and sprinkler systems had been turned off during renovation and not put back on. If true then that's just staggering.
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
It seems there was plenty of people warning something like this was possible in that block of flats. How it could happen in this day and age is an absolute disgrace, those poor people dying in the most terrible way.

It's hard to know what is and what isn't misinformation but I've read the fire alarms and sprinkler systems had been turned off during renovation and not put back on. If true then that's just staggering.
And probably criminal
 

Ian1779

Well-Known Member
There was an act attempted to be put through parliament last year whereby landlords had to make accommodation fit for human habitation - it was blocked.

Now is quite rightly the time to offer support to those affected but at some point there are people that need to go to prison (if these things are true) as a result of this.
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
Looks like the plastic used to reclad the building was not fire resistant. This looks like corporate manslaughter to me. Council, housing association and construction company should be in the dock. There's a blog that's been posted from the residents association where they warned of the danger.

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Blocks up and down the Country have been given a facelift with external cladding
An inquiry is needed to quickly establish f this was indeed the cause.
Thoughts go out to anyone affected by this dreadful tragedy,
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
There was an act attempted to be put through parliament last year whereby landlords had to make accommodation fit for human habitation - it was blocked.
Absolutely horrific, can't begin to imagine what it would be like.

Have a mate who lives in a similar block near there. Has been on at the council for years about the fire risk but has never been able to get a proper response out of them. There's also a letter on twitter with the council threatening legal action against a blogger who highlighted the issues.

Kind of sums up the country at the moment. Working class an afterthought to maximising profit. Hopefully those involved will now feel the full extent of the law. `Chap on the news was saying the council wanted an excuse to knock the tower blocks down and he wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't an accident. Hope there's no truth in that.
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
The tenants action group warned about a power surge. I reckon that is the most likely cause here again. Disgraceful and RIP to the victims.
 

Captain Dart

Well-Known Member
The fire brigade couldn't get any water higher than about 11th floor either!
 

lifeskyblue

Well-Known Member
Unbelievable horrific pictures. Apart from 9/11 I don't think I have seen anything worse.
If the reports are true re lessons not learnt from previous similar incidents then politicians, landlords, developers should and must be held responsible. It seems residents were aware of the dangers, raised their concerns again and again but were ignored or dismissed. If that is true then some people must have criminal (murder/manslaughter) charges pressed against them.


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dutchman

Well-Known Member
A chief fireman told me during a visit to the central fire station in the 1960s that they had asked Coventry city council not to build anything higher than six stories because they couldn't rescue anyone from higher up than that.

In the early 1980s most of the ten-storey tower block in Coventry were condemned for not having a so-called 'second means of escape'. The council cynically built new escape towers alongside the blocks which would be useless in most situations but satisfied a legal requirement.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
This is terrible.

According to one witness, he went over to the block when he saw the fire because he had friends inside. The left side of the building was in flames, but the other side wasn't and when he went round that side he said that residents were just looking out of their windows not at all looking worried and merely asking what was going on. Seemingly the residents had been told to stay in their flats and shut the doors. By the time the flames came round that side of the building it was too late for many of the residents to escape.

Seems a terrible botch up and all those poor people suffered when surely the building could have been evacuated.
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
Seemingly the residents had been told to stay in their flats and shut the doors
From what the experts have been saying tower blocks should have measures in place to contain a fire to a single residence. Clearly that didn't happen here.

Terrible tradegy but you have to think there is 'blame' to be placed somewhere. The way the fire took hold is like there was no preventative measures at all.
 

Captain Dart

Well-Known Member
No it was a faulty Fridge

On BBC web site... Another resident told the BBC fire alarms "did not go off". London fire brigade say they currently have no indication of what caused the fire.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
I shall be writing to the WM Mayor & my MP tonight suggesting that this decision now needs urgent reconsideration.
20-storey student tower will be latest addition to city skyline

Surely if it's fitted properly it's OK, or is it the regulations that are lax?

Regardless, that's one ugly tower block. I wish they'd build lower rise student "towns" rather than all these massive sky scrapers. Something 5-6 stories high and arranged in streets would be way better IMO.
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
Surely if it's fitted properly it's OK, or is it the regulations that are lax?
Lax regulations.

There was a fire in South London back in 2009 and an all party committee put together to review the regulations. In 2013 they recommended fire safety regulations be overhauled but the government ignored them. One of the areas of concern was cladding on the outside of tower blocks to refurb them.

There was also the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill that was proposed by Labour. That was voted down, it tuned out 72 of the MPs who voted against it were landlords. The Government claimed new laws would lead to unnecessary regulation.
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
No it was a faulty Fridge
So it seems, however the fire should have been contained to the flat of its origin, I don't
Think FP is referring to the fires cause, more the lack of effective containment thereafter.
There's been a lot of talk about the external cladding used during a recent refurbishment
Of the block, it looks possible that this was the reason that the fire spread so quickly.
If it was someone's got a heavy price to pay,
 

We'll_live_and_die

Super Moderator
So it seems, however the fire should have been contained to the flat of its origin, I don't
Think FP is referring to the fires cause, more the lack of effective containment thereafter.
There's been a lot of talk about the external cladding used during a recent refurbishment
Of the block, it looks possible that this was the reason that the fire spread so quickly.
If it was someone's got a heavy price to pay,
Yes it does appear that the fire spread externally and the internal containment did work. I guess as the cladding and insulation is external it doesn't need to be fire regulated.
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
This is terrible.

According to one witness, he went over to the block when he saw the fire because he had friends inside. The left side of the building was in flames, but the other side wasn't and when he went round that side he said that residents were just looking out of their windows not at all looking worried and merely asking what was going on. Seemingly the residents had been told to stay in their flats and shut the doors. By the time the flames came round that side of the building it was too late for many of the residents to escape.

Seems a terrible botch up and all those poor people suffered when surely the building could have been evacuated.
Many people perished unnecessarily in the twin towers, people being told to stay where they Were and
await rescue, the 2nd tower could and should have been fully evacuated when the 1st plane hit.
If iever found myself in a tall building, when something of this nature happened, my number 1 priority
Would be to exit the building as quickly as possible.
If a fire occurs in a tall building or its structural integrity is compromised in anyway, the last place I'd
Want to be is inside waiting on rescue.
 

RegTheDonk

Well-Known Member
Lax regulations.

There was a fire in South London back in 2009 and an all party committee put together to review the regulations. In 2013 they recommended fire safety regulations be overhauled but the government ignored them. One of the areas of concern was cladding on the outside of tower blocks to refurb them.

There was also the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill that was proposed by Labour. That was voted down, it tuned out 72 of the MPs who voted against it were landlords. The Government claimed new laws would lead to unnecessary regulation.

Shocking news, felt physically sick hearing some of the people talking about what happened. We can't cast stones until the facts are confirmed, but whatever the outcome lets hope that laws to keep people safe are upheld and introduced where necessary.
 

Gazolba

Well-Known Member
From what the experts have been saying tower blocks should have measures in place to contain a fire to a single residence. <snip>
If someone left in a hurry and left the door open?
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
It doesn't by current regulations and standards I believe?
It was saying on TV earlier about the cladding and that it should have a fire plate
Fitted between each section OR the cladding should be constructed from non-
Combustible material, to prevent this type of thing.
 

Captain Dart

Well-Known Member
Surely if it's fitted properly it's OK, or is it the regulations that are lax?

Regardless, that's one ugly tower block. I wish they'd build lower rise student "towns" rather than all these massive sky scrapers. Something 5-6 stories high and arranged in streets would be way better IMO.
It won't do any harm to review the decision will it, besides that block is hemmed in on one side by the ring road in a deep cutting, 14 storeys higher than the HMRC building adjacent and about 8 storeys higher than the new Friargate building.
 

bringbackrattles

Well-Known Member
I live in a block of flats and we've had small fires here and its scary. And some years ago I left a chip pan on and it engulfed the kitchen.Fire is frightening so its horrific what's happened in London.
 

Gazolba

Well-Known Member
It's the same old story, safety takes a back seat until a tragedy happens, then there's a sudden rush to action.
I'm just afraid the terrorists are paying attention. Why fly planes into a building when you can just set them alight from outside?
 

Johnnythespider

Well-Known Member
Lax regulations.

There was a fire in South London back in 2009 and an all party committee put together to review the regulations. In 2013 they recommended fire safety regulations be overhauled but the government ignored them. One of the areas of concern was cladding on the outside of tower blocks to refurb them.

There was also the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill that was proposed by Labour. That was voted down, it tuned out 72 of the MPs who voted against it were landlords. The Government claimed new laws would lead to unnecessary regulation.
There should definitely be a law where an MP with an obvious conflict of interest should not be allowed to vote on a proposed bill.

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