Latimer Road fire: Huge fire engulfs west London flats

[Knee Jerk Reaction]

10 minutes ago, CaptHaddock said:

In New York City the firemen who would come to our office building every year for the fire drill and safety talk would always point out that no fire in any high rise building in NYC had ever spread to more than three floors because the construction of the building is designed to contain fires for some period (one hour?) and the fire department always gets there in eight to ten minutes and puts it out before it can spread.  (The exception was 9/11 of course.)  I am shocked that a high rise can burn like this in London.  Where are the fire barriers?  Where are the sprinkler systems?

The building is 43 years old so probably not equipped with a sprinkler system. Local people are saying it spread quickly up the outside of the building.

[dunroaming]

Still lots of conflicting stories about how the fire started and it's best to wait until we get the fire brigades official report.  It is a very multicultural area of West London and far removed from the Notting Hill area that everyone is familiar with. 

[Knee Jerk Reaction]

1 hour ago, DipStick said:

After following this from early  morning, I cannot get my head around the fact that the fire supposedly started on the second floor, but in a very short time had 25 storeys above it blazing.

the flames and heat were so intense the Fire Brigade had to use their aerial towers remotely from the ground. Two words spring to mind, accelerants and arson!

Another thing that struck me were the witnesses and those giving statements, without exception, they all had Asian and Arabic names, is it possible this was a revenge attack ? Food for thought !

 

The make up of residents of the block is usual for inner London, a mixed demographic of white, West Indian and Asian. The fire appears to have taken hold quickly and spread upwards because of the external cladding. Most likely a tragic accident.

[CaptHaddock]

16 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

The building is 43 years old so probably not equipped with a sprinkler system. Local people are saying it spread quickly up the outside of the building.

If so, the building standards in London are crap.

[Knee Jerk Reaction]

1 minute ago, CaptHaddock said:

If so, the building standards in London are crap.

They were when the block was built. A lot that age have already been pulled down. New builds now are constructed to a much higher standard.

[sandrabbit]

2 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

They were when the block was built. A lot that age have already been pulled down. New builds now are constructed to a much higher standard.

and emergency exits and fire escapes are of a different design now, if you see some of the nearby buildings there are external emergency stairs.

[PattayaJames]

12 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

They were when the block was built. A lot that age have already been pulled down. New builds now are constructed to a much higher standard.

Yet I think it will be found that the newly fitted cladding will be the main cause here.

[chrisinth]

32 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

The building is 43 years old so probably not equipped with a sprinkler system. Local people are saying it spread quickly up the outside of the building.

Granted it is old but what did they spend the 10 million refurbishment money on? As said earlier, in this day and age, after refurbishment, you would not expect this to happen.

[wilai]

12 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

They were when the block was built. A lot that age have already been pulled down. New builds now are constructed to a much higher standard.

Cladding was only installed last year when the entire building was refurbished.

[ddavidovsky]

1 hour ago, Usernames said:

Third World building codes and safety standards.

Third world population. No coincidence. It's absolutely related to this incident.

The UK should normally have progressed beyond that stage by now, and everyone should be living nicely, but immigration has kept standards in many areas low. More food for thought.

[mikebike]

1 minute ago, ddavidovsky said:

Third world population. No coincidence. It's absolutely related to this incident.

The UK should normally have progressed beyond that stage by now, and everyone should be living nicely, but immigration has kept standards in many areas low. More food for thought.

You really don't understand capitalism do you.

[sandrabbit]

3 minutes ago, wilai said:

Cladding was only installed last year when the entire building was refurbished.

looking at whats left of the building it looks like the original external wall wasn't constructed very well anyway before it was clad.

 

[ddavidovsky]

11 minutes ago, mikebike said:

You really don't understand capitalism do you.

I understand that zero-income, ill-educated, and in many cases barely literate people have little to do with capitalism.

Well, it would be interesting to see the demographics of the people who lived in this block. Somehow I don't think it would happen in an up-market block. Somewhere along the line, the necessary social controls disintegrated.

Edited June 14, 2017 by ddavidovsky

[CGW]

17 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

like the twin trades towers with the steel beams missing their fireproof cladding?

Didn't make much difference to WTC 7 it collapsed without fire! Guess it was just having a bad day!

[binjalin]

30 minutes ago, CaptHaddock said:

If so, the building standards in London are crap.

Of course it had a sprinkler system and the Fire Codes are very strict wait until some FACTS come out please.

[overherebc]

More reports that they are looking closely into reports from a couple of residents that a faulty fridge started a kitchen fire on the fourth floor.

Edited June 14, 2017 by overherebc

[mikebike]

6 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

I understand that zero-income, ill-educated, and in many cases barely literate people have little to do with capitalism.

I honestly didn't think you'd do such a perfect job of proving my point. Well done!!

[Tilacme]

49 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

The building is 43 years old so probably not equipped with a sprinkler system. Local people are saying it spread quickly up the outside of the building.

These blocks were constructed in the early 1960's so more like 55 years old. It will not be sprinklered but will have a dry riser which the fire brigade can hose onto.  I would be surprised if the recent cladding was not fire rated as this is basic Bldg Regs but it looks like the UPVC windows may have played a part.

[midas]

13 minutes ago, binjalin said:

Of course it had a sprinkler system and the Fire Codes are very strict wait until some FACTS come out please.

 

If the fire codes are that strict you would think it would include testing the fire alarm bell periodically because in this incident the alarm didn't didn't go off (according to a number of tenants that were interviewed on sky News)

and it didn't have a fire sprinkler system- they are just discussing that now on sky News with the London Mayor

Edited June 14, 2017 by midas

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

36 minutes ago, Knee Jerk Reaction said:

They were when the block was built. A lot that age have already been pulled down. New builds now are constructed to a much higher standard.

 

Same questions I always ask when these types of episodes (high-rise fires) periodically happen here in BKK:

 

--What is the local city's law on fire sprinklers and fire alarms in older high-rise buildings?

 

--Was this building in compliance or not in compliance with the pertinent local codes?

 

More than likely, somebody has some splainin' to do...

 

[stevenl]

2 minutes ago, midas said:

 

If the fire codes are that strict you would think it would include testing the fire alarm bell periodically because in this incident the alarm didn't didn't go off (according to a number of tenants that were interviewed on sky News)

I heard others say it did go off but they could not hear it until they were outside if their apartments.

 

Better to wait until facts come out.

[roo860]

Of course it had a sprinkler system and the Fire Codes are very strict wait until some FACTS come out please.

Apparently it didn't have a sprinkler system, one reason was water pressure. That was just on BBC News.

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[CGW]

"sprinkler systems also reportedly not working or may not have existed" is what is being reported in the Daily Mail! b

 

Best wait for the facts as others have stated!

[roo860]

Another story just on BBC, someone threw their baby from about 11 floors up and someone caught the baby at ground level!
If true, that's incredible.

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[Tilacme]

Pretty sure this building is owned and managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea so it will comply with all regulations.

[Thai Ron]

2 hours ago, DipStick said:

Two words spring to mind, accelerants and arson!

Another thing that struck me were the witnesses and those giving statements, without exception, they all had Asian and Arabic names, is it possible this was a revenge attack ? Food for thought !

 

Thaivisa Forensics & Counter Terrorism - Barstool Division

 

 

[churchill]

I worked in a hotel in London and can confirm fire regulations were very strict with an annual inspection .

 

Not sure if the same rules apply to flats .. I lived in a flat for some time in docklands and never saw a fire inspection .. and only one exit ... which would not be allowed in a hotel .

 

I saw reports this morning that initially residents were told to stay in their flats ..... horrific 

 

see this from residents warning sometime ago that an event like this was going to happen 

 

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

[mikebike]

8 minutes ago, Tilacme said:

Pretty sure this building is owned and managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea so it will comply with all regulations.

So you have no doubts that the contractor who remediated the building cut no corners, and that if they did the council would have caught them. Very trusting you are.

[churchill]

18 minutes ago, roo860 said:

 

 

Apparently it didn't have a sprinkler system, one reason was water pressure. That was just on BBC News.

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Yes I saw another resident saying the fire brigade initially had problems with water pressure in their hoses and has to run water from some way away .

[Thai Ron]

23 minutes ago, Tilacme said:

These blocks were constructed in the early 1960's so more like 55 years old. It will not be sprinklered but will have a dry riser which the fire brigade can hose onto.  I would be surprised if the recent cladding was not fire rated as this is basic Bldg Regs but it looks like the UPVC windows may have played a part.

Nope. Built in 1974 along with the rest of the Lancaster West Estate.

I lived in the area for some time