Tower block fire - london

[LOAM]

It's not hard to see how the estimate of 400+ residents is reached. There's some information on the building here:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ed-at-grenfell-tower-london-fire-visual-guide

20 floors with same layout - four 2-bed flats and two 1-bed flats per floor.

Given the pressure on housing in London, 2 persons per bedroom as an average isn't unlikely, so that gets you to 400 straight away. Then there's probably some flats with higher occupancy to take that figure higher.

The travel distance on those plans from front door to what would be deemed the safe area of the stairwell isn't considerable at all. The zone between front door and stairwell would be expected to contain smoke but the exit should be illuminated. There's reports of smoke within the stairwell also because the mechanical venting system failed to activate due to the failure of the alarm.

Fatalities up 12 now, the Fire officers have now been to all floors.

 

[Schlong&Stable]

I'm sure it'd be easier to just build buildings that aren't death traps. Older buildings aren't going anywhere due to the crazy land prices and greed of owners

"Easier" but not necessarily more likely to happen.

 

[Raggs]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...g-to-happen-fire-expert-slams-uk-tower-blocks

how many more of these death traps are there around the country ? ten council blocks in Sheffield that have had this cladding fitted got relatives in one of them quite worrying tbh

 

[=XDC=FluphyBunny]

I know it gets said all the time but make sure your smoke detectors are working and that you have one. I've recently bought a fire extinguisher from Amazon for home for less than £20. It might have made the difference in this case if the person who's apartment the fire had started in could have dealt with it.

Our local fire department recently went around knocking on doors and testing and replacing (free of charge) smoke detectors. Something that is so easily forgotten about - one of ours didn't even work at all!


The pictures and videos of the burning block of flats is terrifying.

 

[Abraxaz1]

Has arson been ruled out yet?

Could see a lot of land like this being very valuable in that part of london.

 

[dbmzk1]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...g-to-happen-fire-expert-slams-uk-tower-blocks

how many more of these death traps are there around the country ? ten council blocks in Sheffield that have had this cladding fitted got relatives in one of them quite worrying tbh

Thousands of them. They are everywhere. They all need knocking down, but that's not likely to happen any time soon.

 

[Rroff]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...g-to-happen-fire-expert-slams-uk-tower-blocks

how many more of these death traps are there around the country ? ten council blocks in Sheffield that have had this cladding fitted got relatives in one of them quite worrying tbh

I sometimes do compliance, health and safety or security audits - you never realise quite how lazy and stupid some people are until you do :| (most common one is fire exits blocked up with equipment or goods, etc. stacked up infront that would take some minutes to clear before they could be used).

 

[Diddums]

Sadly in today's age of capitalism, money > lives.

These blocks could be extremely safe for their residents but also very expensive.

It's telling really. I maintain a £650m office block in the square mile and the fire protection facilities are ridiculously over specced. Of course I don't need to tell you that the building was built for a bank.

 

[Feek]

Has arson been ruled out yet?

It's far too early to speculate on anything like that whatsoever. The building is still on fire!

 

[iamtheoneneo]

Police guy just stepped in to avoid the council shooting themselves in the foot. Incredible.

 

[glenimp617]

Sadly in today's age of capitalism, money > lives.

Never a truer word said

 

[JohnnyG]

Has arson been ruled out yet?

Could see a lot of land like this being very valuable in that part of london.

Not where it is, it's right in the middle of a social housing complex that's just had a multi million facelift.
When it's rebuilt it will only be part of the existing complex.

 

[Tefal]

Which is exactly why Thompson's idea is decent. We're stuck with crap buildings, so might as well come up with safe exit devices.

i dont think youd be able to find a big enough patch of clear ground to erect such a thing.

 

[Tefal]

Police guy just stepped in to avoid the council shooting themselves in the foot. Incredible.

?

 

[andicole0]

17:15 and the thing is still burning!
Andi.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

?

on the recent press briefing, the police leader stopped the council leader speaking more over the question of cause, directly after the press were talking about the complaints from those that stayed there.

 

[glenimp617]

?

Just now on sky news, the reporters started asking questions of the council. Police stepped in to avoid them saying the wrong thing.

 

[dowie]

I'm sure it'd be easier to just build buildings that aren't death traps. Older buildings aren't going anywhere due to the crazy land prices and greed of owners

the price of land ought to make it easier to get rid of buildings like that one... frankly if we managed social housing on a London wide basis then we could easily sell off tower blocks like that in prime locations to developers and build far more homes further out

 

[Tefal]

the price of land ought to make it easier to get rid of buildings like that one... frankly if we managed social housing on a London wide basis then we could easily sell off tower blocks like that in prime locations to developers and build far more homes further out

but isnt th problem they cxant kikck the social housing residents out of high value areas as its against thier right to a family life/purging so theres no incentive for a developer to build a modern new development for a group he could never hope to pay the rent?

 

[Cern]

the price of land ought to make it easier to get rid of buildings like that one... frankly if we managed social housing on a London wide basis then we could easily sell off tower blocks like that in prime locations to developers and build far more homes further out

In other words gentrification. London has seen more than enough of that already. Key workers and ordinary working people already find it extremely hard to find affordable housing anywhere in London.