The Fires That Foretold Grenfell.

[HelenaDove]

www.memorabletv.com/episodes/the-fires-that-foretold-grenfell-airs-tues-30-oct-on-bbc-two/

This 60-minute documentary is the dramatic, haunting story of five fires that foretold the Grenfell disaster, told through the eyes of those directly involved.

This vivid and moving film for BBC Two collates the memories of survivors, the bereaved, fire-fighters, safety experts, and the politicians linked to five intensely fierce fire disasters that preceded Grenfell. This telling collection of interviews and archive footage shows the clear warnings that existed and could have predicted a Grenfell-type inferno happening in Britain.

The programme focuses on three factors: the application of flammable material and cladding to buildings, the ‘Stay Put’ advice given by fire services, the absence of sprinklers – and how they contributed to each of the previous five blazes, sometimes with fatal consequences.

Made over the course of 12 months, the film tells the story of the legislative history of building regulations from 1973 to the present day through five fires. It explores the causes, subsequent investigations and the recommendations that were sent to successive UK governments, ultimately posing the question – if lessons had been learned as a result of tragic repetition of errors over the decades, could Grenfell have been avoided?

The five fires revisited include: Summerland disaster, Douglas, Isle of Man (1973); Knowsley Heights fire, Liverpool (1991); Garnock Court fire, Irvine, N Ayrshire (1999); Harrow Court fire, Stevenage, Herts (2005); and Lakanal House, London (2009).

The documentary is filmed, produced and directed by Jamie Roberts (The Jihadis Next Door, War Child and Manchester: The Night Of The Bomb), with Senior Producer Owen Phillips (Panorama: Fake Sheikh Exposed and Manchester: The Night Of The Bomb) and Executive Produced by five-time Bafta Award-winner Dan Reed (The Paedophile Hunter, 3 Days Of Terror) for Amos Pictures.

Airdate: Tuesday 30 October 2018 from 9.00pm-10.00pm on BBC TWO

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bumping as this is on tonight.

This sounds amazing. Thanks for posting it, i will definitely be watching.

The Summerland disaster has absolutely shocked me.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/grenfell-universal-credit-christmas_uk_5bd89e7fe4b07427610c2202

bumping again as this is just about to start on BBC 2

Oh blimey that's a scary trailer (for Doing Money). I don't watch TV much any more, that's got me twitchy to start with...

God this is terrible.

I've never understood the 'stay put' advice. I've been trained so many times in fire safety including as a staff member in hospitals (i.e. big institutions with long corridors etc) and always the principle is to get out of the building as early as you can - though not to open a door where there is smoke coming under it. I've never heard any version of the stay put advice.

that was incredibly upsetting. The cladding at Lakenal only able to withstand fire for FOUR MINUTES.

Holy hell, the next time someone moans to me about health and safety I will be forcing them to watch this. Excellent but thoroughly depressing documentary. So many failures of successive governments, starting with Thatcher.
That Summerland fire

There has got to be a study in there somewhere into how seemingly small changes in legislation, when applied over decades can leave you with a massive gaping hole in your regs without you realising it.

I watched this I was shocked as I hadn't heard of any of them before, only Lakanal because my dh has told me about it. Summerland was especially shocking

I remember seeing lakanal on the news and the discussion at the time that the fire had spread when it should have been contained in the original flat. That telephone call with Catherine Hickman

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45982810

It was shocking, those poor people. sprinkler systems are so common in shops but not in blocks of flats proves that governments care more for things and not people.

My dd was an auxiliary fire man and he always said to us,if you can get out and stay out, however I noticed that Summer land had only ONE EXIT how the hell was that allowed?

I am related to one of the firefighters who died in the Stevenage fire. Such a horrible time. I couldn’t manage to watch the whole documentary but I think it told an important message. The Summerland one was just awful

I watched it the other night and have thought constantly about Catherine Hickman, the lady who was trapped in the Camberwell fire and stayed on the phone to the Fireservice until she dies. She was the same age as my sister who has had children etc since 2009, and I just think how much she has missed out on.

It was very sad and shocking to see, and should be repeated on BBC 1 so more people can see it.
I remember my electric blanket went on fire one night, and the smoke was horrific, choking, luckily I knew what to do, and all was fine, but my god it was scary, I cannot imagine how it would be to be involved in a large fire.

There were other issues with the Summerland fire apart from the plastic. People went looking for their children and fire exits were chained shut. The fire brigade were called by a shop out at sea, no one on land did it.