It's too bad this wasn't located in San Diego and full of ALL old people, we could have documented them as completely safe by a formerly well-respected expert. Obviously this is the result that occurs, and it certainly is tragic that we suffer these losses over and over and over again. Hopefully Harriet can push thru the answer, ESFN is calling attention to the answer we all beleive would have spared the tragedy.
Alan, Stewart- our condolences and hopes something positive comes out of it. glc Harriet Harman calls for investigation into tower blocks following lethal blaze- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5741675/Harriet-Harman-calls-for-inve stigation-into-tower-blocks-following-lethal-blaze.html Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons, has demanded a wide-ranging investigation into the design of tower blocks similar to one in London where a devastating fire killed six people. Ms Harman MP, whose south London constituency includes the block of flats where Friday's blaze claimed the lives of three children and three adults, said "serious questions" had to be asked about the location of fire escapes in such buildings. She said residents of Lakanal House, in Camberwell, had told her how they found their escape blocked by chocking black smoke and flames as they tried to flee after fire broke out in the building. Ms Harman, who is Leader of the House of Commons, said: "There will have to be a thorough investigation in to what caused this fire and whether the prevention was adequate. "There are many blocks with one central stairwell and questions will have to be asked about what happens when a fire breaks out. "I met someone in her 70s who was trapped for 30 minutes with smoke seeping under door because she couldn't get to the central stairwell. The fire was between her and the way out of the building." Several residents said the complicated layout of the flats made the evacuation difficult while onlookers described seeing those trapped inside screaming for help. A six-year-old child, a woman in her thirties and another adult, died inside the building, emergency services said. A three-week-old baby, a seven-year-old and an adult woman were pronounced dead in hospital after last night's blaze. Ms Harman met families who escaped the blaze and emergency service workers on Saturday. She said she was "struck by how calm and immensely brave people were". Miss Harman said she had been keeping Number 10 informed of the "very tragic situation". Chief Supt Wayne Chance said the fire started inside a fourth floor flat and is being treated as suspicious. Thirty people were rescued from the block in Sceaux Gardens, in Camberwell, and 15 people were taken to hospital on Friday, including three who died. Eleven people had been released and one man, a firefighter, remains in hospital but his condition is not thought to be serious, Mr Chance added. The bodies of three of those killed remain inside the block, which is being treated as a crime scene until the cause of the fire is determined, he said. Police believe they know the identities of the six dead and are waiting to inform next-of-kin and for formal identification before they release their names. The victims came from a "number of families". Post mortem examinations are being arranged. Mr Chance said officers were dealing with a "large and complex scene". He added: "The investigation is likely to take some time." Southwark Council Leader Nick Stanton said it was likely to be "days if not weeks" before residents could return to their homes after the "ghastly" incident. London Fire Brigade said the blaze began on the fourth floor yesterday afternoon and "spread rapidly" to the 11th floor. Carol Cooper, 38, who lives on the seventh floor, described "seeing people and children waving for help". "Everyone was here. But it took too long for them to get in there and do something. It just seemed like it took too long. "I think that's because it's just like a maze in there." She said that the tenants had called for the block to be demolished three years ago but had been told it was a listed building, one of the earliest council houses in south-east London and could not be knocked down. Instead, the council fitted new windows and electrical cabling. One woman, who did not want to be named, described the tower block as a "death trap" which should have been torn down years ago. Ed Hammond, 37, an accountant who lives on the seventh floor, agreed that the flats were "death traps". "If the fire is in the central area, you would virtually have nowhere to go," he said. "I hate it. It's the safety, it's just not right." Zahera Chaudry, 21, whose sister was in a first-floor flat when the blaze broke out, said: "These buildings should have been torn down years ago." She said there was no central fire alarm system in operation but some of the individual flats were fitted with alarms. Her sister, Jasmine, said her first warning of the fire was when smoke came into her living room yesterday afternoon and she was forced to flee with her three children. She added: "I have always said that these buildings should have come down." A single bunch of flowers was placed in a children's play area inside the police cordon behind the tower block. Several people who lived near have spoken of it being a stable community where many people have lived for a number of years. Neighbours said there was a friendly atmosphere, with relatively little trouble. One message read: "For such a tragic loss." About 150 people were without accommodation last night. The vast majority stayed with friends or family and 20 were provided with accommodation by the council. On Saturday a heavy smell of soot and smoke hung in the air as the building was made safe so fire investigators could get inside. The rear of the building was blackened, with several parts of the wall missing, and the area immediately around the building remained sealed off. -----Original Message----- From: Alan Brinson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, July 06, 2009 1:41 PM Subject: Fatal High-Rise Apartment Fire in London A fire in a high-rise apartment building in Camberwell, London has killed six people. Among them were three children. The fire was reported on the afternoon of Friday, 3rd July. Over 100 fire-fighters attended the fire in Lakanal House, a 14-storey building. According to reports, the fire began on the 10th storey of the building. Fire-fighters established a bridgehead on the 8th storey but became aware that the fire had spread to the 5th storey, potentially cutting them off. They therefore had to withdraw. Those who died were on the 12th storey of the building. This social housing apartment building was built in the 1960s to the regulations then in place. As such it did not have any sprinklers. If it were built today it would have been fitted with sprinklers. In April 2007 a requirement was introduced for new residential buildings higher than 30m to fit sprinklers. Many commentators have noted that the building only has one staircase. Residents of the building have said that smoke prevented their access to it. Today the building would have two separate staircases, although if sprinklers are fitted some authorities have accepted a single staircase. There are probably hundreds of unsprinklered high-rise social housing buildings in London. Residents of those buildings are now asking whether they are safe. The local Member of Parliament is Harriet Harman, the Deputy Prime Minister. In an interview on the BBC she said that questions were being asked about sprinklers. The London mayor, Boris Johnson, has said that the design of the building is worrying. Both politicians are calling for lessons to be learned. Meanwhile local councillors are calling for a public enquiry. The European Fire Sprinkler Network is asking if the various official enquiries will determine whether a sprinkler system could have prevented this tragedy. We believe it could but the government will probably wish to prove it to justify any imposition of retrospective fire safety measures. Alan Brinson Executive Director European Fire Sprinkler Network _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
