Nikodemos
Member
That ACP cladding sounds like a massive fire hazard.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Massive Fire in High Rise Apartment in London
- Thread starter superdeluxe
- Start date
That ACP cladding sounds like a massive fire hazard.
JonnyDBrit
Member
Which combined with the suggestion Kadin quoted that it wouldn't be hard for a fire to cut off any and all escape, well...
This was a recipe for disaster for years, and it finally happened. I just... it's horrific to even consider, nevermind actually happen.
Any Questions
Member
Interesting. Well forward this email and pass around
Just speaking to a friend who has friends living there. She can't get through to anyone.
I know the local owner of the launderette lives there with his young family as well as several gym heads that go to the gym opposite. There's a school right next to it too.
Id hate to imagine if the building collapsed
I know the local owner of the launderette lives there with his young family as well as several gym heads that go to the gym opposite. There's a school right next to it too.
Id hate to imagine if the building collapsed
So many fuck ups from government to landlords
.
superdeluxe
Member
One of the survivors on sky news said he saw a lady jump from the 8th floor :/
Hows that even possible?! Every man for himself?!
I live on a 33 floor building in Tokyo and twice the fire alarms have been set off, they are incredible loud.
Demoncarnotaur
Member
Just reading this, viewing some of the footage. Ugh.
Some thoughts: in that Periscope, why was the man out his window left unattended for so long? If fire crews were working on a plan to help him, shouldn't they have been on loud speaker or something?
Further, the Twitter videos where the building was on fire and people were blinking their lights - early reports said that fire crews urged people that if they talk to their families, they should tell them to self evacuate. Did they not have a way to try to communicate this to those in the buildings themselves? Perhaps they did - just going off of limited information, and trying to make sense of this tragedy and the actions that followed.
The reports that the building was a known fire hazard as well... just, ugh.
Some thoughts: in that Periscope, why was the man out his window left unattended for so long? If fire crews were working on a plan to help him, shouldn't they have been on loud speaker or something?
Further, the Twitter videos where the building was on fire and people were blinking their lights - early reports said that fire crews urged people that if they talk to their families, they should tell them to self evacuate. Did they not have a way to try to communicate this to those in the buildings themselves? Perhaps they did - just going off of limited information, and trying to make sense of this tragedy and the actions that followed.
The reports that the building was a known fire hazard as well... just, ugh.
harriet the spy
Member
Tenants rights in London/UK are the worst I have ever experienced in my life. Combine this with awful customer service and this is sadly not super surprising. Reading the blog is so fuck damning. People involved should rot in jail.
Pankratous
Member
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire
There's a Wikipedia page on this already? Who makes these so quickly?
Horrible way for anybody to go.
There's a Wikipedia page on this already? Who makes these so quickly?
Horrible way for anybody to go.
JonnyDBrit
Member
Increasingly sounds like the most basic shit could have saved hundreds.
The first chap, the services were aware of him and the last I heard they were going to attempt to bring a crane in. I'm not sure what happened beyond that, but he dissapeared from his window.
From the reports thus far, there is only one stairwell and one lift. The lift wasn't working and the stairwell was chock-full of smoke relatively quickly. Also, the fire seemed to start on floor 4, and it spread rather quickly so anyone on the higher floors may well have been too late to escape. By the sounds of it, the alarm didn't go off until 1:30 AM, some 35 minutes after the emergency services were first alerted to the fire. I imagine they did all they could to contact those still int he building and urged anyone and everyone to contact those who may not have heard.
Zelenogorsk
Banned
Absolutely horrific.
That is very detailed for an event that has not gone on long...
GHG
Gold Member
How does a fridge explode in such a catastrophic way that it causes a fire like this?
Do they not have appliance safety checks anymore? I thought that was a requirement for rented accommodation in the UK?
Yep: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/electrical_safety_in_rented_homes
Do they not have appliance safety checks anymore? I thought that was a requirement for rented accommodation in the UK?
Yep: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/electrical_safety_in_rented_homes
This isn't private sector housing. It was as built by the council and is operated by a housing association on their behalf. The regulations are already very good - they obviously just weren't enforced.
DieNgamers
Member
My heart goes out to all the families and children who died there. Ever since my daughter has been born news like this devastate me so much more. I hope they didn't suffer for long.
Ever since my daughter has been born news like this devastate me so much more. I hope they didn't suffer for long.
Cybrwzrd
Banned
Looks like the local group has updated their blog
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/grenfell-tower-fire/
Fuck, and this right here probably led tens or hundreds maybe to their deaths
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/kctmo-feeling-the-heat/
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/grenfell-tower-fire/
Fuck, and this right here probably led tens or hundreds maybe to their deaths
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/kctmo-feeling-the-heat/
cpp_is_king
Member
The fridge doesn't need to explode. All that has to happen is the wire is frayed from the fridge to the outlet, you get an arc fault on the line, and boom.
arc faults are the #1 cause of house fires and the reason building codes in the US were recently updated to require AFCI outlets for all new construction.
GHG
Gold Member
Most reports are stating residents on the floor that it started are saying a neighbor saying their fridge exploded first alerted them to the fire.
Interesting, thanks for the info.
autumnleaf
Member
Horrifying. So awful to read people knew this was a tragedy waiting to happen and no one did anything.
GrizzleBoy
Banned
I work in a company that provides fire and life safety maintenance for a London borough.
I can't for the life of me understand how a 27 storey building was not mandated to have a central fire alarm system that would alert a person on the 27th floor if the building was in a blaze on the fourth.
I also will say that from the fuckries I've seen subcontractors doing, I wouldn't be surprised if whatever maintenance company the landlords had were just signing log books every month to say things were being the ked regularly without so much as looking at a SINGLE thing. Especially if the landlord doesn't care.
There will be SHITLOADS of court cases.
I can't for the life of me understand how a 27 storey building was not mandated to have a central fire alarm system that would alert a person on the 27th floor if the building was in a blaze on the fourth.
I also will say that from the fuckries I've seen subcontractors doing, I wouldn't be surprised if whatever maintenance company the landlords had were just signing log books every month to say things were being the ked regularly without so much as looking at a SINGLE thing. Especially if the landlord doesn't care.
There will be SHITLOADS of court cases.
MikeHattsu
Member
Damn. That's horrible.
This is appalling. I can't even imagine the fear of the poor souls on the higher floors who never had a chance.
I hope some serious questions are asked and concrete steps are taken to ensure something like this never happens again. It already seems apparent that the scale of this tragedy was entirely preventable.
I hope some serious questions are asked and concrete steps are taken to ensure something like this never happens again. It already seems apparent that the scale of this tragedy was entirely preventable.
Kotetsu534
Member
I'm feeling a bit sick. Known fire risk for years, hundreds of families in the block, nothing done, and now the whole block is burning in the night. Christ. I hope all those responsible and held to account.
Some refrigerators use isobutane as the refrigerant, ever since we banned CFCs in the 90s (due to ozone layer depletion).
Isobutane is potentially explosive if it leaks and is ignited.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isobutane
Chittagong
Gold Member
Horrible. Hopefully will finally lead to proper review of these Thatcher towers, many of them should be outright condemned.
I can see the fire from across London right now:
I can see the fire from across London right now:
Deaf Spacker
Memb
Fucking hell.
It just looks like a shell now, I hope that there's not many fatalities but it's not looking good.
It just looks like a shell now, I hope that there's not many fatalities but it's not looking good.
JonnyDBrit
Member
Fridge explosions are actually quite possible, depending on the model and what gasses it uses for coolant. Many older units use pentane for example, which is flammable. Obviously not confirmed yet, but with all the other apparent conditions of the complex, it wouldn't even need to have started big - just not been at all contained while it still could be.
RageWaffles
Member
Horrific. This is my absolute worst nightmare.
My heart breaks for all the people and pets trapped in there
My heart breaks for all the people and pets trapped in there
None as yet, but it's not looking good. I listened to a witness account on the radio of a guy on the 4th floor (where he believes the fire started). He said that between getting a knock on the door from a neighbour to tell them there was a fire and he and his gf grabbing some clothes, their entire floor was flooded in thick smoke. He also said that the smoke alarm in his apartment went off, but he heard no central alarm. Within minutes of them evacuating, he said the whole block had gone up. I want to be optimistic, but it really does sound like the worst case scenario.
Now I'm wondering if many buildings have this...
superdeluxe
Member
Looks like the local group has updated their blog
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/grenfell-tower-fire/
Fuck, and this right here probably led tens or hundreds maybe to their deaths
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/kctmo-feeling-the-heat/
Welp
Similar threads
- Locked