The London high tower block fire.

[not on facebook]

Christ almighty how on oearth can something like this happen and so quickly after watching reports on the news.

Not been confirmed by any news agency but people that lived in the block that have been interviewed have said that a fridge started the fire on a lower floor flat .

Never lived in a high block in my life and will never tend to after watching this.

Looks horrific

[not on facebook]

It seems that the blocked was a council block for hammersmith & chelsea and it housed council tenants  and was run by a management company.iam going to stick my neck out here and say half the problem is with above.

[ballysbackin]

I have just been told about it after school run, those poor souls would not have had a single chance,,,, Wait for the blame game now to switch back and forth. ie "Fire Certificate" for starters. I hope all that can be saved are saved. My prayers for the deceased and my thoughts are with the firmen and women fighting the flames, may they all be safe.

[NickDRFC]

I can still see the smoke from my office now a couple of miles down the road. Hope they have got as many people out safely as possible.

[Bentley Bullet]

Apparently, the block was refurbished only last year.

[RedJ]

Listening to the bloke who lived there on the news this morning, sounds like the new cladding on the outside might be partly to blame for how quickly it might've spread.

[Dagenham Rover]

Some horrific pictures of it and some fatalities confirmed

[not on facebook]

The word cladding seems to be popping up all the time .

New cladding was added to the block a year or so ago and the claims are that this stuff might have helped the fire spread so quick.

Nobody it seems was woke up by sound of fire alarms as they was all woke up by sounds of shouting /screaming or neighbours banging on their doors.

 Fire safety Issues from a fire group that live within the flat was brought to attention to local authority's last year but  to no avail.

Sounds like it's going to get a lot more worse on where the trail of blame will end up and Iam going back to the council placed the tenants into the block which was run by a management company.

[Highland Rover]

 I lived in a block of flats ( about 5 storeys ) in M-Gladbach in the early 80's and some local nutter tried 3 times to set fire to the block . He succeeded on his 3rd attempt , starting a fire in the cellar close to the oil tank and central heating boiler . Thankfully the fire service was alerted fairly quickly and were soon on the scene to take control . For a while we had thick smoke coming up the stairwell and also the  air filter system into our bathrooms  . We were advised to evacuate the flats onto the balcony and what did I have with me ....wife , kids , budgie , passports , security pass for work and a bottle of brandy !!! There wasn't much brandy left by the time the all clear was given . Thankfully the arsonist was caught soon afterwards . Could have been a whole lot worse .

[not on facebook]

This faulty fridge keeps on been mentioned by locals for cause of the start of the fire.

There was warnings about a certian type of fridge in the news a few years back as they was deemed a fire risk.

With the above I just can't take in how a faulty fridge can blow up then within a hour a whole block of flats is ablaze.

U.K. has some of the strongest fire  building regulations worldwide .

You would have thought that if it was a exploding fridge that the fire would have been contained to that said room or floor at the most.

[glosterred]

I lived in a block of flats ( about 5 storeys ) in M-Gladbach in the early 80's and some local nutter tried 3 times to set fire to the block . He succeeded on his 3rd attempt , starting a fire in the cellar close to the oil tank and central heating boiler . Thankfully the fire service was alerted fairly quickly and were soon on the scene to take control . For a while we had thick smoke coming up the stairwell and also the  air filter system into our bathrooms  . We were advised to evacuate the flats onto the balcony and what did I have with me ....wife , kids , budgie , passports , security pass for work and a bottle of brandy !!! There wasn't much brandy left by the time the all clear was given . Thankfully the arsonist was caught soon afterwards . Could have been a whole lot worse .

What no crate of Grolsch on the balcony? Strange that 😉

[not on facebook]

Not seen any bottles of grolsch  for sometime now they certainly cornered the market on flip top bees for sure.

My memory migh be playing tricks on me but Iam sure that there was a pub in gillingham that had it on tap,when rovers played there some 25 years ago.

That's the only time I ever saw it on tap if it's the case.

Guess it's like hieneken ,taste ok out of the bottle but shite when on tap.same can be said for carslberg ,Holstein pils .

[roversdude]

The central stairway should be protected to allow safe egress
In many such buildings tenants are advised to stay put and there are no provisions for fire alarms
They had a fire in same block very recently that was contained so the cladding could be a big factor
Hopefully structure will be sound enough to allow for thorough investigation rather than being demolished
Thoughts are with the poor souls who have perished and families who have lost everything

[Filo]

I can't believe that sprinklers are not a standard requirment for all high rise buildings

[roversontheup]

I can't believe that sprinklers are not a standard requirment for all high rise buildings

I think I heard that they are for newer buildings but not existing ones.

[i_ateallthepies]

Apparently the refurb included installing new gas supply pipework top to bottom - INSTALLED IN THE STAIRWELL!!!  THE ONLY STAIRWELL IN THE BUILDING.  Somebody is going to be in some right trouble when the truth comes out.

[roversdude]

Not sure it will have been in stairwell there is usually a shaft for services but await further news
Company I work for has several similar properties in London worryingly both have just had a refurb with same cladding

[Filo]

I can't believe that sprinklers are not a standard requirment for all high rise buildings

I think I heard that they are for newer buildings but not existing ones.

Which if true makes it even more ridiculous, older buildings would have been built with outdated building regs. When the buildings have tennents they should be brought up to existing regs

[not on facebook]

if it is a exploding fridge  from a 4th floor felt that was the source of this fire that some locals have muted  i still can't take in the end result within such a short space of time.

something's must have been terrible wrong with numerous safety issues within the block on Tuesday morning .

That saying > 'every action has a reaction ' comes to mind .

[BobG]

I'm led to believe that after that fire in Camberwell in 2009 a bunch of recommendations were made to prevent the same ting happeneing again - only they haven't been laid before Parliament so nothing has changed. If that really is true, (and it does look rather odd) then we would definitely be treated to the noble art of scapegoating. Somebody is going to prison for this. Anyone would think we're in Dacca or Mogadishu or somewhere....

As an aside, how long before some bright jihadist fellow realises he's just been presented with the perfect weapon? Utter chaos within days if they do realise....

I had tears in my eyes a few times today. What a bloody awful sight. Those poor, poor people. Imagine being forced to choose to throw your baby out of a 9th floor window.... It doesn't bear thinking about.

BobG

[not on facebook]

After watching bbc2 newsnight the trail of blame will go up  much higher than a firemans ladder , and end up on a governments members desk.then it will drop back down and land on some fcuker down the chain.

As bob pointed out there was a smaller fire in London in 2009 where 6 died and it has the exact same DNA as this one > cladding and refurbishment of blocks changing the effectiveness of its fire safety .

[Not Now Kato]

After watching bbc2 newsnight the trail of blame will go up  much higher than a firemans ladder , and end up on a governments members desk.then it will drop back down and land on some fcuker down the chain.

As bob pointed out there was a smaller fire in London in 2009 where 6 died and it has the exact same DNA as this one > cladding and refurbishment of blocks changing the effectiveness of its fire safety .

Indeed, and this makes interesting, (frightening), reading    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-minister-warned-beefing-up-10622601   Bet they find a way to come out smelling of roses 

[Filo]

After watching bbc2 newsnight the trail of blame will go up  much higher than a firemans ladder , and end up on a governments members desk.then it will drop back down and land on some fcuker down the chain.

As bob pointed out there was a smaller fire in London in 2009 where 6 died and it has the exact same DNA as this one > cladding and refurbishment of blocks changing the effectiveness of its fire safety .

Indeed, and this makes interesting, (frightening), reading    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-minister-warned-beefing-up-10622601   Bet they find a way to come out smelling of roses 

That is truly shocking, everyone who sat on reports or ignored them needs bringing to task, manslaughter charges must surely follow

[not on facebook]

Can't help but think that the sub letting culture that's across all the U.K.s big city's will shock the local council and government when the final body count is in .

Onto a good point after this tragedy the local community  have  all pulled together and are helping as ONE community .

Different race creeds colours all helping each other and doors of whatever place of pray held open to help.

I have heard the term 'londoners' used again and again by many different faces which is a good sign.

[Herman Hessian]

Crowds gather outside church for vigil after Grenfell Tower blaze




candles - drapes - wrapping paper - obvious fire hazard, IMHO....

[Pancho Regan]

Inappropriate and in bad taste Herman.

[Draytonian III]

A bit of stupid question, but why was the cladding applied in the first place ?

[drfchound]

Insulation properties ?

[not on facebook]

A bit of stupid question, but why was the cladding applied in the first place ?

There seems to be two reasons that have come out.

The said block of flats was said to have been a eyesore by the higher class who live close by.
Don't 4get the area is Kensington and Chelsea where untold mega bucks live.

Also there was a college just behind the flats that had a refurbishment via cladding so the local council
pushed forward the uograde of the said block of flats with a refurbishment which had new windows and the cladding within in it.

Issue here is that more supperior form of cladding was first put into plans that was drawn up for a lesser form of cladding to be used after a re draw of plans.the second choice of cladding seems to be less fire resistance than the first one used in the plans.

Throw into the mix that a report was brought out after a much smaller fire in a block of flats in 2009  elsewhere in London where six deaths occurs.
Said report pointed out that all tower blocks should have water sprinkle installed along with the red tape that holds such work back.

Todate fcuk all has been done in line with that above report as it's seems the report has just been left to one side.

[not on facebook]

Why is it that when any government official from whatever party comes out any statement after a disaster like this that I get the impression they are saying one thing but mean the other.