27 storey block of flats on fire in London.

[DoctorTwo]

BBC link. Holy shit, almost the entire building is ablaze. Hope everybody got out safely.

Horrendous

Who owns these buildings?

Horrifying.

Yes, same here tatty with regards to the 'site tight' policy. Also, people on the stairs hinder the fire service accessing the building. In the building fires I've been involved in (thankfully very few in 25 years) the only people who have been injured are those who have ignored this and fallen down stairs. However, this fire looks absolutely catastrophic and completely out of control. Just awful .

tatty If a fire can be properly contained within one flat, I guess your advice makes sense for people on the upper floors, assuming your buildings aren't cladded in flammable plastic and assuming they have proper fire alarms, sprinklers and wiring.

But how safe are these old tower blocks?

It's owned by the borough council lostyourmittens RBKC

This interview from a resident who escaped said it started with kitchen fire in the flat opposite him. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40269625

Managed by KCTMO, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, whose board includes resident reps, councillors and independent members. There is also a paid senior exec team including a CEO.

My heart aches for all the residents. I pray everyone got out but it really is very unlikely. Even those who have left, they may have their lives but they have lost everything.

They have been talking on the news about some possible gas works done recently.

Poor Families.

www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?t=353054

Page 2 has some interesting comments.

It is a concrete building. It's not supposed to burn like that...

The outside cladding caught fire (as it does in China...so...yea..wonder where that cladding came from). Flames raced up the sides of the building, exploded windows and ignited all the rooms inside.

The Fire Service have now made an official statement confirming some fatalities.

And that they have not yet established cause of the fire.

Council Leader passing the buck already.

"t's owned by the borough council lostyourmittens RBKC"

if, as has been suggested, any recklessness and intentional misleading of the london fire brigade by those responsible for this area has allowed for this to happen those responsible must be face the full force of the law.

fires such as this should not happen in this day and age

News said 15mins for the fire to travel from the second floor to the roof. Thats just unthinkable! The outside of the building looks melted.

Freak it's making me rage. How dare he.

The outside cladding caught fire (as it does in China...so...yea..wonder where that cladding came from). Flames raced up the sides of the building, exploded windows and ignited all the rooms inside

I imagine a lot of cheap and tatty furniture also contributes to the problem. That stuff catches fire in a jiffy.

Horrible scenes indeed.

Tatty I think for smaller scale fires, staying put is best. Large fires like this, advice has to be to get out quick.
As you say, elderly and infirm cannot manage the stairs, and would get pushed and trampled.
Either way, multiple fatalities were going to happen whatever the advice.

I don't think he was passing the buck, just trying to say nothing despite the agreeing to be interviewed. Because no-one knows enough yet.

Other tower blocks with that cladding cannot be safe. They are death traps.

Freak "Council Leader passing the buck already."

Who is he?

Rose he could have said 'clearly something has gone very wrong here and we need to do a full investigation to find out what.

Although it's owned by the Council it us managed by an external company on behalf of the Council. Of course that doesn't abdicate responsibility for the Council but it's conceivable that they were not involved in the day to day running and maintenance issues and assumed that the management company were abiding by the relevant legislation.

Thinking of all those families affected, I cant comment but its just so so sad.

Just horrific

I imagine a lot of cheap and tatty furniture also contributes to the problem. That stuff catches fire in a jiffy.

I'm going to assume that was a thoughtless and unnecessary comment. Good taste doesn't burn?

(Cheap plywood and MDF may well burn faster than solid wood, but taste doesn't enter into it I think)