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Massive fire in London - Grenfell Tower in Shepherds Bush



Superseagull

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
2,120
Isn't it just. I have a bad feeling we are looking at many casualties here.:down:

Amazed there is no general evacuation alarm in a 24 story building. lots of people only realised there was a fire when people banged on the front doors. Crazy situation in a block of flats only recently refurbished to what I would hope are the current building standards. Is this the same for other tower blocks in this country?

It looks like the outside cladding has caused the fire to spread way to quickly for people to escape.
 




Butch Willykins

Well-known member
Jun 17, 2011
2,532
Shoreham-by-Sea
Just woken up to see this.

Shocking to see the extent of this fire and then read (via the earlier posted link) that residents were advised to stay in their flats in the event of fire

You would like to think in this modern age we live in that there would be ways to stop fire spreading as quickly or as widely as it has done here on buildings like this and there would be evacuation and fire suppression systems that sprung into action when the fire first started. (is new legislation required? and more importantly, making sure legislation is enforced)

I hope everyone made it out alive but fear that there will loss of life from this incident.

Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been taken.

FullSizeRender.jpg
 


Guy Fawkes

The voice of treason
Sep 29, 2007
8,187
Amazed there is no general evacuation alarm in a 24 story building. lots of people only realised there was a fire when people banged on the front doors. Crazy situation in a block of flats only recently refurbished to what I would hope are the current building standards. Is this the same for other tower blocks in this country?

It looks like the outside cladding has caused the fire to spread way to quickly for people to escape.

I took the bit on the video about banging on doors to be neighbouring buildings and not in the building that's on fire, it wasn't clear to which it referred to in the video but i hope i am right and that there were alarms in the one affected and that gave the residents a chance to escape
 






Gazwag

5 millionth post poster
Mar 4, 2004
30,093
Bexhill-on-Sea
I took the bit on the video about banging on doors to be neighbouring buildings and not in the building that's on fire, it wasn't clear to which it referred to in the video but i hope i am right and that there were alarms in the one affected and that gave the residents a chance to escape

Man interviewed on BBC who escaped from inside the building said the smoke alarms could only be heard outside of their flat
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,719
Hove
Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been

Not sure what products, but it's obviously had a transforming facelift with the refurbishment.

1279-01.jpg

96668_16807110092016_IMG_10_0000.jpg
 






simmo

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2008
2,786
Amazed there is no general evacuation alarm in a 24 story building. lots of people only realised there was a fire when people banged on the front doors. Crazy situation in a block of flats only recently refurbished to what I would hope are the current building standards. Is this the same for other tower blocks in this country?

It looks like the outside cladding has caused the fire to spread way to quickly for people to escape.

I know there seems to be no general fire alarm within the building (that must be illegal, surely) and residents were told to stay inside their rooms in the event of fire, to wait for the fire brigade to rescue them. Unless (many) people escaped by the fire escape (if there was one) the casualties are going to be really bad.

I saw a poor person waving a towel out of a flat 20ish stories up on the TV, I just cannot see how the fire brigade could have got to them on time.
 










Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,363
West west west Sussex
Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been taken.

View attachment 86321

Yesterday 'Fire & Dice' popped up on my podcast feed.
Sadly another example of how it can go horribly wrong if safety shortcuts are taken.

https://www.damninteresting.com/podcast/
 


vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,866
Terrible for all those involved, I could never live in a tower like that as if anything like this happens you are doomed if you are above the second floor.
 




simmo

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2008
2,786
Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been taken.

View attachment 86321

In light of your diagram read this from a resident........

The BBC's Claire Heald has spoken to a woman called Zeinab at the scene.

She says: "There wasn't any other fire exit, except the staircase where the fire was coming.

"My youngest sister-in-law and my father-in-law were stuck. I was taken out but then lost contact with my father.

"The building has been redone on the outside, a cover - some kind of plastic has been put on it and the windows done.

"The fire went under a new cover which had been put on with wooden slats. Most of the residents were worried about this.

"We had meetings about the works and were worried it would happen."
 




Notters

Well-known member
Oct 20, 2003
24,865
Guiseley
The trouble with a lot of these places is that all the asbestos has been ripped out, which is likely to leave them more vulnerable to fire. :(
 






Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patreon
Oct 8, 2003
49,331
Faversham
It said on radio 5 that the building was tarted up with plastic cladding so it would look nicer for the benefit of a new (academy?) school that was opening a couple of years ago.

Looking at some of the telly from last night it looks like the fire spread across the outside of the building through the plastic, which seemed to go up like one of those unsafe nighties that were banned in the 1970s.

If true this adds scandal to tragedy :nono:
 





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