Fire Engulfs Grenfell Tower Block In West London - BBC News

[6Foot2]

Link: Fire engulfs Grenfell tower block in west London - BBC News

 

A huge fire has engulfed a tower block in Latimer Road, west London, with eyewitnesses claiming people are trapped in their homes.

 

The fire at Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate was reported at 01:16 BST and about 200 firefighters are tackling the blaze.

 

The Met Police said people were being treated for "a range of injuries".

 

The BBC's Andy Moore said the whole tower block was alight and there are fears the building might collapse...

[pcstru]

A horrible tragedy seems to be unfolding, many unaccounted for. One can only feel for the victims and their families. The landlord will have some awkward questions to answer.

[JJonas]

Drop off points for food/clothing/nappies/toys/blankets/toiletries etc.

 

Spare rooms also being requested

 

[Theblacksheep]

A horrible tragedy seems to be unfolding, many unaccounted for. One can only feel for the victims and their families. The landlord will have some awkward questions to answer.

 

Considering an action group has been warning on the fire risk by the private companies maintaining it the council policy will brought into question.

[Snoochieboochies]

A sad day. No doubt there will have been a number of residents who lost their lives given the scale of the blaze.

[Joanne]

There were complaints about the fire safety within the building....

 

https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/

 

This blog was from last year.

[6Foot2]

Considering an action group has been warning on the fire risk by the private companies maintaining it the council policy will brought into question.

One resident talking to BBC News just said that there was only a single fire escape for the whole block. And that escape apparently lead those using it toward where the fire originated.

[GuyJD]

People lucky enough to get out of the building said there were no alarms and the only reason they woke up was because they could hear people screaming. Apparently the building was maintained by the local authority and was refurbished just 3 years ago.

 

Such a sad sad tragedy

[JJonas]

MET Police statement - at least 6 dead

 

This is the full Met Police statement

 

"We can confirm six fatalities at this time following the fire in North Kensington in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday, 14 June. These are very early stages and we do expect that figure to rise.

 

"Police were called at 1.16pm to reports of a large fire at a block of flats at the Lancaster West Estate, W11. Officers were sent to the scene to assist colleagues from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the London Ambulance Service (LAS).

 

"Residents have been evacuated from the tower block and a number of those have sought medical assistance from the LAS.

 

"Commander Stuart Cundy, from the Metropolitan Police, said: 'Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this truly shocking fire at Grenfell Tower.

 

"'I can confirm six fatalities at this time but this figure is likely to rise during what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days. Many others are receiving medical care.

 

"'If you do have any concerns for anybody connected to this awful event, please call the Casualty Bureau on 0800 0961 233. If you do not get through immediately, please try again. If you have any concerns, please use that number rather than dialling 999 or 101.

 

"'If you are a resident who has been evacuated from the area and can't now get home the current reception centre being coordinated by the local authority is at the Portobello Rugby club at Walmer Road. We urge anyone who lived in the block to make themselves known at that centre so that we know they are safe. If you are unable to get to the centre please speak to a police officer. This is really important as we account for all those in the building.

 

"'Equally if you have reported someone missing and they are now safe and well it is really important that you contact Casualty Bureau so that we can keep an accurate record of who is missing and who is safe.

 

"'We kindly ask that the public stay away from the area. I thank the public for their patience and their cooperation today which has already greatly assisted our policing response.'

 

"Commander Cundy added: 'There are a significant number of officers at the scene who are continuing to work with the other emergency services and agencies. I'd like to thank my officers and colleagues at London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service for the sterling work they are doing at this time.'

 

"Extensive cordons remain in place and a number of nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution. The A40 is closed in both directions.

 

"It is likely to take some time before we are in a position to confirm the identity of the victims.

 

"It is too early to speculate on the cause of the fire.

 

"Anyone concerned about a loved one should contact Casualty Bureau on 0800 0961 233 or 0207 158 0197.

 

"Those travelling to and from the area are asked to check before they start their journey visit www.tfl.gov.uk."

[Theblacksheep]

Over 100 currently missing.

[elsiegee40]

12 confirmed dead so far. Building still burning behind Huw Edwards on the BBC News at 10pm

[rich_tech]

I genuinely feel for the people involved in this tragedy its beyond awful. There is some serious questions need answering quickly on this because of the safety failures of the most basic things like the fire alarm, never mind that cladding which has been used extensively elsewhere (my local city has been doing all the blocks in that stuff to "tart up" the look of the 70s high rises).

 

It was exceptionally distressing listening to it on the radio this morning on the way to work too, one of the most horrific things I have listened to the eyewitnesses who were lucky to get out.

[jdoyle]

shocking and sad.

[6Foot2]

Link: Grenfell Tower fire: Cladding 'will burn' warns manufacturer - The Scotsman

 

The manufacturer’s instructions on the cladding used on Grenfell Tower warns that it will “burn if exposed to a fire of sufficient heat and intensity”.

 

A health and safety document for its RS5000 material warns that it should be stored “away from all possible sources of ignition”. However, it is a top grade class ‘O’ for fire resistance, which says the material protects from the spread of flames and limits the amount of heat released from the surface during a fire...

[6Foot2]

Link: Theresa May prepared to order evacuation of other 1970s tower blocks if they are found to be unsafe

[caffrey]

My elderly parents live on the top floor of a block of 60's flats, they've been recently renovated with insulation cladding (not the aluminium type). I talked to them earlier and they had just got back to the flat due to the fire alarm going off and fire appliances being in attendance - luckily it was nothing. I guess the whole country is on edge with this now. They've had reassurances from the landlords that everything is okay and samples have been taken of the cladding Edited June 16, 2017 by caffrey

[6Foot2]

Link: London underground stations closed amid concern of safety of Grenfell Tower | The Independent

 

Transport for London have partly suspended the Circle Line amid safety concerns following the Grenfell Tower fire.

 

No service is running between Aldgate and Edgware Road due to "planned engineering work and the recent fire in the Latimer Road area", according to TfL's official status updates.

 

The Hammersmith and City Line has been suspended between Edgware Road and Hammersmith due to the blaze four days ago, TfL said.

 

Coupled with planned engineering work, the safety concerns around the fire mean the Circle Line is closed.

 

A sign at Ladbroke Grove station said "owing to the safety of the Tower" the lines had been partly suspended.

 

Transport for London said the move had been made "at the request of the London Fire Brigade"...

[Vasriel]

Four ministers were warned about tower block fire risks - BBC News

[GuyJD]

A lot of schools are trying to help the people that have nothing as result of this terrible disaster by wearing something green and bringing in donation this Friday, it started with west London schools but it seems to have spread nationwide looking at the #greenforgrenfell hashtag on twitter, it's good to see schools doing what they can to help out others in times of need.

[Arthur]

How to check if your Hotpoint fridge-freezer is affected following Grenfell Tower fire

 

A faulty fridge started the Grenfell Tower blaze which killed 79 people earlier this month, police confirmed today.

 

The Hotpoint FF175BP model had not been subject to any product recall, so the owner was unlikely to know of the threat.

 

A total of 64,000 units of the same model were made between 2006 and 2009 when they were discontinued.

 

Anybody who has a Hotpoint fridge-freezer with model number FF175BP or FF175BG is encouraged to call a freephone hotline 0800 316 3826.

 

While finding your model number may sound complicated, it is actually fairly easy. If you look behind your salad draw you should be able to find it.

 

Hotpoint seem to have a really bad track record with household appliances that are potential fire hazards. Isn't about time we boycotted them?!

[caffrey]

Parents just phoned me, a group of workmen appeared and the tenants were told the cladding was being removed (This is in the NE) Was quite a costly renovation not long ago

[6Foot2]

Link 1: Camden flats: Hundreds of homes evacuated over fire risk fears - BBC News

 

...Camden Council says people in five towers on the Chalcots estate were moved for "urgent fire safety works".

 

The council said it was booking hotels but 100 residents are spending the night on air beds in a leisure centre.

 

The estate's cladding is similar to Grenfell Tower in west London, where there was a deadly fire this month...

 

Link 2: Updated 01:24 - Evacuation of Taplow block - Leader statement

Edited June 24, 2017 by 6Foot2
Add a link.

[6Foot2]

Link: Cladding sample testing update [GOV.UK]

[witch]

So what was the problem really?

Was it badly conducted safety checks? (so the fault of the council and/or the fire service if they sign off such things)

Was it fraudulently manufactured cladding that was purported to be fire safe but wasn't?

Was it that the law is too lax where this sort of thing is concerned? (Unlike Scotland and Wales where it clearly states the material used must not be flammable, I believe)

 

If it was the latter - and it is easy to determine if the cladding met the current legislation without a huge investigation - then i want to see an amendment to the law being sorted out ASAP.

 

What about the gas pipes in the communal areas? Who did that and who signed off on it? I heard on Radio 4 this morning that this could be an issue in other flats too.

[pcstru]

So what was the problem really?

Was it badly conducted safety checks? (so the fault of the council and/or the fire service if they sign off such things)

It has to be a big element. Someone signed off on work both before it was done and after it was completed.

Was it fraudulently manufactured cladding that was purported to be fire safe but wasn't?

Everything I have seen says that the cladding itself was OK (no manufacturing problems) but it should not have been used in that way (above 18m, or without appropriate fire breaks). How it then came to be used is the question. I've also seen reports that the insulation used behind the panels was itself flammable which would be another fail.

Was it that the law is too lax where this sort of thing is concerned? (Unlike Scotland and Wales where it clearly states the material used must not be flammable, I believe)

Possibly. A lot of this stuff is risk based, which is to say that it is down to planning and building control to say what is appropriate. The Cladding is just a material with a number of uses and a lot of building materials are flammable. Given the large number of buildings now deemed unsafe, I'd say the law itself needs to be clearer. "Risk" seems to be something that people find difficult to understand (it is not a simple probability) or deal with, so perhaps the real failure is legislation which puts too much reliance on people doing something well which has been demonstrated time and time again not to be something people do actually do well!