Towering inferno in London

[Jim Hardie]

I wonder if the fire-retardant nature of the exterior cladding has had the effect of turning the building itself into a chimney allowing the fire to rise from floor to floor?

 

I mean, I don't know what the cladding is and whether it's solid but I'd *guess* there was a gap between the cladding and original brickwork which super-heated air might have travelled up like smoke up a chimney, setting fire to window frames and curtains in the flats of the floors above which then spread to the flats proper.

 

I can't see how a fire starting in one flat managed to spread to the whole building before the fire brigade managed to tackle it. It must have spread at a phenomenal rate.

 

Building Regulations call for horizontal cavity barriers at each floor to prevent a flue effect in the event of a fire. Most likely the cladding material itself did not meet surface spread of flame requirements.

[Pinkman]

Ah you've added to this post, and was what I was asking this morning. What were the timings etc? When I saw the thread and turned on TV it was 10am and the side shot was the place in flames in the dark - which was obviously at the time - just early info.

 

The evening news showed what it looked like after half an hour or so, and it was well up in flames by then. As bad as 100 killed and injured, had this been an hour or so later when most people asleep, it could have been much worse. However, seeing a residential building going up like that, in this country of high H&S was quite unusual.

 

-

 

Of this horrific fire and events today, probably the worst thing for me is the sign saying 'stay in your flat'. This probably is the main concern of everyone living in a tower block now and worried, and should be addressed quickly, when the materials used are identified. I suspect all fire inspectors around the country are busy tonight.

 

I saw (and didn't know fully) that this is so the fire brigade can access the stairway, as well as the building and doors should hold up during a fire. However, my instinct if I saw a fire is get away from it - and luckily it seems, most ignored this instruction.

 

Yeah added to the post because I didn't think I was very clear. I'm not a fire investigator or anything. Was just a hypothesis.

 

It started at 1am. The response time should be about 6 minutes.

[melthebell]

Its just heartwrenching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89grOkI2EwU

[Jim Hardie]

Of this horrific fire and events today, probably the worst thing for me is the sign saying 'stay in your flat'. This probably is the main concern of everyone living in a tower block now and worried, and should be addressed quickly, when the materials used are identified. I suspect all fire inspectors around the country are busy tonight.

 

This is usually sound advice providing the fire is compartmentalised as it should have been but something went catastrophically wrong this time. As you say everyone in a tower block is now going to be worried and will probably ignore this advice in the event of a fire and lives could be lost as a consequence.

[area 51]

Hats off to the guy who stepped forward to catch the baby dropped from the 10 th floor.I think i would have done the same thing in his position but that is a hell of a pressure moment to make a decision like that,top man.I couldnt believe what i was seeing on the tv this morning,the terrible day of 911 came back this morning seeing people faced with the situation of being trapped in a burning building with no escape,i wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy.If this happened because of construction failures and the cladding then somebody needs to be brought to account.To think that all these energy saving rules may have contributed to this is sickening.My condolences and thoughts are with all the people effected by this today.

[Bob Arctor]

Ah you've added to this post, and was what I was asking this morning. What were the timings etc? When I saw the thread and turned on TV it was 10am and the side shot was the place in flames in the dark - which was obviously at the time, just early info.

 

The evening news showed what it looked like after half an hour or so, and it was well up in flames by then. As bad as 100 killed and injured, had this been an hour or so later when most people asleep, it could have been much worse. However, seeing a residential building going up like that, in this country of high H&S was quite unusual.

 

-

 

Of this horrific fire and events today, probably the worst thing for me is the sign saying 'stay in your flat'. This probably is the main concern of everyone living in a tower block now and worried, and should be addressed quickly, when the materials used are identified. I suspect all fire inspectors around the country are busy tonight.

 

I saw (and didn't know fully) that this is so the fire brigade can access the stairway, as well as the building and doors should hold up during a fire. However, my instinct if I saw a fire is get away from it - and luckily it seems, most ignored this instruction.

 

"Stay in your flat" would normally be fairly sound advice, since the concrete partitions between each flat are designed to contain the spread of a normal fire load for an hour. However, if the cladding has taken the fire up the side of the building and bypassed the concrete partitions then clearly not. Presumably the advice should have been updated.

[Guest sibon]

"Stay in your flat" would normally be fairly sound advice, since the concrete partitions between each flat are designed to contain the spread of a normal fire load for an hour. However, if the cladding has taken the fire up the side of the building and bypassed the concrete partitions then clearly not. Presumably the advice should have been updated.

 

Or, even better, the building shouldn't have been wrapped in a flammable material.

[*_ash_*]

"Stay in your flat" would normally be fairly sound advice, since the concrete partitions between each flat are designed to contain the spread of a normal fire load for an hour. However, if the cladding has taken the fire up the side of the building and bypassed the concrete partitions then clearly not. Presumably the advice should have been updated.

 

 

Well quite.

 

Lessons to be learned is never a popular statement, but generally that's how things improve. This was obviously catastrophic though, and needs urgent attention.

[Bob Arctor]

Or, even better, the building shouldn't have been wrapped in a flammable material.

 

Absolutely. There may well be safe ways to clad a building, but if these are either not enforced by legislation or the legislation is ignored then it's a disaster waiting to happen

[tinfoilhat]

Absolutely. There may well be safe ways to clad a building, but if these are either not enforced by legislation or the legislation is ignored then it's a disaster waiting to happen

 

As I alluded earlier, the contractors might have thought they'd bought FR panels - there are plenty of materials out there or indeed treatments. It could a rogue supplier or paperwork balls up.

 

I hope it's that anyway. I'll bet people who live in high rises clad in plastic definately hope that.