Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington - news and discussion

[MrSki]

Fuck! I've never seen a block fire of that magnitude. Looking at photos it seems to have ripped all the way through the centre.

Poor people trapped up in that, and at the very least losing their homes

If it was just their homes it would not be so bad.

 

[stethoscope]

Quite

 

[stethoscope]

Latest updates here: London fire: fears of people trapped as major blaze engulfs tower block – latest

 

[bimble]

Freaking out a bit,know it well there friends there on Latimer Road & can see the plume of smoke billowing from here

 

[dessiato]

As unbelievably terrible this is for the tennants, we must also consider the terrible trauma being suffered by all those attempting rescue. The aftershock will rumble for years for everybody.

As selfish as it is, thank God it isn't me. But God help those who are involved.

 

[equationgirl]

Christ, that looks horrific. If the fire has gone straight up the building somehow then may be lift shafts or stairwells not properly protected?

My thoughts are with the residents and the emergency services dealing with this disaster

 

[5t3IIa]

Latest updates here: London fire: fears of people trapped as major blaze engulfs tower block – latest

Some residents of the tower are at a makeshift centre in the Rugby Portobello, a community centre, where people are delivering water and blankets. Others have come to offer their houses to those in need.

One resident, who did not want to give his name but said he lived “high up” in the tower, said no alarms went off as the fire started.

“I heard my neighbour’s smoke alarm go off, and thought nothing of it. Then I heard a neighbour shouting... I’m lucky to be alive – and lots of people have not got out of the building,” he said. “I’ve lost everything I own. I’m standing here in everything I’ve got.”

The building was an “accident waiting to happen”, he said, and there was not enough space at the base for fire engines to attend the scene.

He and others criticised the lack of information they were receiving. “There’s no coordination from anyone,” he said. “The police have not come to speak to us. We’ve been unable to give anyone our names.

“It’s been five hours. There’s people here who don’t have a clue if their relatives are alive or dead.”

Literally the stuff of nightmares jfc

 

[october_lost]

.

 

[bimble]

Fucking hell its huge the plume of smoke there blowing across on still morning right to Hampstead Heath (I'm in archway)

 

[Vintage Paw]

This is awful. I can't imagine the terror. Those poor, poor people.

 

[Calamity1971]

.
[QUOTE="dessiato, post: 1510997

As selfish as it is, thank God it isn't me. But God help those who are involved.[/QUOTE]
Very selfish. God ain't got a say in this in my world.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Christ. Those poor people.

 

[equationgirl]

Underneath the BBC article on this there is a link to one from 2013 after another tower block fire, which states that LFB were not visiting fire blocks on a regular basis for familiarisation ie to learn about building layout, fire escape locations etc.

Can't link because on phone but worth a look. More damning is that no-one from the landlords has commented on this so far.

 

[seventh bullet]

Horrifying. I can't begin to imagine what the residents are going through, or as sadly seems to be the case for many of them, did go through.

 

[1927]

How can anyone else survive? Just hope most of the residents managed to get out.

Surely the building must collapse.

Why?

Apparently since that November blog post the TMO had put up fire safety notices in the building

KCTMO – Feeling the Heat! - Grenfell Action Group blog (March 14th)

A stay put policy is fine if you have compartmentalisation within the building to stop spread of fire. It is clear there was no such protection in Grenfell Tower. Looking at the way it spread I wouldn't be surprised if the new cladding was responsible for spreading the fire.

 

[1927]

The eyewitness on BBC right now is coming out with gold, I think landlords are fucked if what he is saying is accurate!

eta: He just said what I suspected the cladding spread the fire!

 

[Geri]

Pictures on the news look like scenes from 9/11. Eye witness accounts are horrifying.

 

[Ponyutd]

Not one report of any deaths. That strikes me as odd.

 

[wiskey]

Underneath the BBC article on this there is a link to one from 2013 after another tower block fire, which states that LFB were not visiting fire blocks on a regular basis for familiarisation ie to learn about building layout, fire escape locations etc.

I was on mat leave over the Lakanal House fire at work but when I came back they were using it as a training session and it scared the shit out of me. I never dealt with anything more than housefires myself, a whole block is a disaster!

Especially if the alarm didn't go off as one man is quoted as saying

 

[ElizabethofYork]

That was a very powerful interview on the BBC from s bloke that managed to get out with his partner and little girl.

 

[stethoscope]

Not one report of any deaths. That strikes me as odd.

Bit early. It's going to take time to ascertain just how many people were likely to be in, how many managed to evacuate, how many taken to hospitals.

 

[1927]

Not one report of any deaths. That strikes me as odd.

There obviously will be, but doubt bodies will ever be found. Added to which its hardly the time to be badgering survivors and asking them who was left behind!

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

London fire: people trapped as major blaze engulfs tower block – latest

Cladding is mentioned by a man who escaped...

"This man spoke to Assed Baig, a journalist with Channel 4 News, about his escape from his home on the 17th floor of Grenfell Tower with his 68-year-old aunt. We’ve not yet been able to independently verify his suggestion that the building had no central fire alarm, or that the cladding was especially flammable.
“We saw the fire engines, so we were looking outside at what’s going on. There was no fire alarms anywhere, because we don’t have a kind of integrated fire system – it’s just everyone’s house for itself. I walked out into the common area to see if the lifts are moving, to see if people are in a hassle – nothing. But I could smell the smoke.
“I went back inside the house, looked out the window. I started looking down the window – I had to really pull myself out to look down the window, from the 17th floor, and I see the fire blazing, and coming up really fast, because of the cladding – the cladding was really flammable, and it just caught up like a matchstick.”


Terrifying

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Horrifying. Poor people caught up in that - dread to think what the death toll will be.

 

[1927]

That was a very powerful interview on the BBC from s bloke that managed to get out with his partner and little girl.

The first witness for the prosecution methinks. He pretty much nailed it!

 

[Pickman's model]

 

[ruffneck23]

Horrendous news , all those people :-(

 

[1927]

London fire: people trapped as major blaze engulfs tower block – latest

Cladding is mentioned by a man who escaped...

"This man spoke to Assed Baig, a journalist with Channel 4 News, about his escape from his home on the 17th floor of Grenfell Tower with his 68-year-old aunt. We’ve not yet been able to independently verify his suggestion that the building had no central fire alarm, or that the cladding was especially flammable.
“We saw the fire engines, so we were looking outside at what’s going on. There was no fire alarms anywhere, because we don’t have a kind of integrated fire system – it’s just everyone’s house for itself. I walked out into the common area to see if the lifts are moving, to see if people are in a hassle – nothing. But I could smell the smoke.
“I went back inside the house, looked out the window. I started looking down the window – I had to really pull myself out to look down the window, from the 17th floor, and I see the fire blazing, and coming up really fast, because of the cladding – the cladding was really flammable, and it just caught up like a matchstick.”


Terrifying

It seemed obvious to me that the cladding had spread the fire, purely by the charring of the outside of building and the pics of molten material dripping from structure. Added to the other issues about no integrated alarm system, and an inappropriate fire procedure there is going to be a criminal case from this. Some people are going to be very very worried today.

 

[Dogsauce]

This is bad. Really bad. Something has fucked up really badly here.

During my degree we were shown really harrowing footage of a tower block fire in Brazil in the 70s, which apparently informed a lot of high rise safety in subsequent construction.

Think it was this one:

Joelma Building - Wikipedia

179 people died in that one.

 

[1927]

This is bad. Really bad. Something has fucked up really badly here.

No, SOMEONE has fucked up really badly here, and hopefully will be spending an extended vacation at HMP in the not to distant future.