Grenfell Tower

[RhythmAndStealth]

Watching the news just now and I can't believe my eyes. It looks absolutely horrific.

I want to think everyone got out safe, but sadly I just can't.

Some of the news reports are about alleged poor safety standards and dangerous living conditions. If that's true it just beggars belief.

A lady was just interviewed on BBC saying she knows a disabled person who lives on the 18th floor and is housebound. I have to ask why the hell Council's house disabled people on the upper floors? Surely they should be prioritised for the lower floors?

Anyone watching Victoria Derbyshire on BBC1 now? I wish someone would tell that knob head behind her to piss off and stop grabbing attention

My partner works in lots of different tower blocks in London, he says you wouldn't believe the amount of both council and private blocks that are basically running gas and electrics on ancient systems, with "At Risk" notices on everything from boilers to electrical systems, but they all persist in just ad hoc repairs to save money, because although it saves money in the long term in the short term it goes down as a black mark to spend a large amount to replace the things that need it.

I really would believe

This is criminal.

A lady was just interviewed on BBC saying she knows a disabled person who lives on the 18th floor and is housebound. I have to ask why the hell Council's house disabled people on the upper floors? Surely they should be prioritised for the lower floors?

There is no social housing, there's nowhere to send these people. The people living there are the poorest people on society- disabled, refugees, poor immigrants, single parent families. You either live there or the council refuse to help you. Social housing has been sold off and most private landlords won't rent to dhss, not that housing benefit would cover a rent in that area anyway. I hate to politicise but this is what austerity looks like.

Sparechange - I suppose that is dependent upon the cladding being installed correctly though?

We're all absolutely horrified with what is an on-going situation. Not the time for political point-scoring imo.

Oh God, this is awful. DS was telling me earlier there's a fire in London and I didn't realise how bad it was until I put the news on just now. Those poor people

At least some of these flats were privately owned though - it may not all be social housing.

Cabbage67 I totally agree. What an insensitive arsehole.

These poor people, things like this just shouldn't happen. But of course that's such a naieve viewpoint.

The London Fire Brigade are immense.

This is so upsetting.

I have family members who perished from smoke inhalation injuries. My two young cousins were only 2 and 4 When they died, My aunt, who survived, had a mental breakdown and is now a hoarder.

It's terrifying and reading the reports about the state of the place beforehand, heads need to roll.

For scale, I live in a mile long street of mostly terraced housing. Not grand terraces, but modest mining cottages. There are roughly 120 homes and families in this street.

How are they going to house all these families? That area is over stretched as it is. . Those poor firefighters it looks like there is just nothing they could have done.
Did you just see that young lad on victoria derbyshire (love her) a second a go.

" I have to ask why the hell Council's house disabled people on the upper floors? Surely they should be prioritised for the lower floors?"

No they are not. A lift is viewed as perfectly sufficient (whether it's working or not). And if you refuse a flat that's offered because you can't get down the steps/ what happens if the lift breaks etc, you are written off as having refused a flat 'fit for your use' and they take you off the list.

I'm disabled and will have run out of savings in a few months. I will most likely be forced to live in one of these unsuitable and terrifying blocks.

I'm fucking terrified. I live close by and it's very very real. I would be dead or worse, trapped and dying with no rescue and news helicopters circling overhead. And my son.

Like those poor poor people. Oh God. Those poor people.

Watching BBC News... so much anger and pain. It's devastating.

It's just awful. I have immense respect for the fire brigade. Their water jets only reaching part way up look so futile, it must be horrendous for every person there.

No actually, this exactly the time to get political because bad political decisions are KILLING PEOPLE.

I want to emphasis this from a PP:

the Conservative government shows it has only contempt for ordinary citizens. Sound bytes, scape goating, one-upmanshipping but no effective humane governing. Children, the disabled, elderly vulnerable people were unable to flee some are still stuck in the tower. It really looks like the UK is a failed first world country

Councils can't make housing safe as they have been utterly strangled by government cuts. I'm not sure about London, but out here in the provinces councils are broke, because their funding has been slashed, and slashed, and slashed some more.
People have died in terror, people's children. Needlessly.
I'm sorry, but nobody would allow this to happen to rich people.
I bet noone even loses their fucking job over this.
Plead God, another election, I have had enough.

tolly your right, there just isn't the social homes,
did you see the advert for one of the privately owned flats linked above £1700 a month for a 2 bed. Its crazy

The young man whose mother and little sister were rescued? Yes, he spoke brilliantly.

And the nun who has been involved in the community response spoke well too. She's Catholic and has spent the night with Muslim mothers whose children are missing. She's a great voice for how the multicultural community is pulling together to help everyone. She said there has been a huge response and lots of supplies have been arriving.

With correct fire precautions (such as proper fire doors) in place the safest place sometimes is to stay put, plug the gaps around the door with something wet or non-flammable to prevent smoke and signal at the windows. Cover your mouth and nose against smoke. And wait to be rescued.

If I remember my training correctly a closed fire door can give you 30mins (please someone correct me if I'm wrong)

No one could have expected the building to go up the way it did, and reports from eye witnesses saying that the communal alarms didn't go off, the dry risers either didn't work or fire fighters couldn't get to them, doors that didn't open/close properly.

As someone else said up thread, the fire was too much, too fast, and took hold too quickly.

Those poor people

It may have been lucky that it happens to be Ramadan, some people may have still been awake.

I think it's disgusting people are turning this tragedy into political point scoring; the tower was actually built whilst a Labour government was in power.

I'm in London but not really nearby. I'm not on FB but does anyone know if there's a way people are being asked to help at this point?

The Blog is completely damning.
The landlords have had previous fires, previous warnings.
Residents association saying their living conditions are 'a disaster waiting to happen'.
It just did. I hope they are prosecuted for manslaughter, frankly.
Terribly hugely sad.

Our local council, managed to put solar panels on the rooves of the vast majority of council owned property this last 5 years. Standards of council owned property, way down the priority list.
Re HHSRS standards, the council are responsible for enforcing it. Its the whole police policing themselves issue. Private landlords feel the full weight of the law, councils dont prosecute themselves.