Residents at inferno f lats: We warned of the danger
Fire alarm system ‘failed’ at block with wood cladding
FURIOUS residents called for an investigation last night after their block of flats was engulfed by flames when the alarm system apparently failed.
Families living in the smart development had warned developers for years that its wood cladding was a fire hazard.
They claim their concerns were ignored before the block went up in flames in 70 seconds on Sunday afternoon. Residents reported that neighbours were banging on doors and screaming: ‘Get out, get out.’
Twenty flats were destroyed and three cats killed in the blaze at Samuel Garside House in Barking, east London.
Serena Madhvani, whose fourth-floor flat was completely gutted, said: ‘The fire alarms didn’t go off, the sprinklers didn’t go off.
‘There’s a vent room on every floor and doors are supposed to open but there was a system failure with those in the week of the fire that residents had raised. We’d also raised concerns about wooden cladding.
‘After the Grenfell tragedy we asked developer Bellway about the cladding but they told us it was made from fire-retardant wood and assured us it was OK. But the time it took for our building to go up in flames and become an inferno shows that the wood was clearly not fire retardant. We are calling for an urgent investigation into the fire, the cladding and safety regulations.’
The assistant headteacher accused the Government of failing to learn from Grenfell.
Her neighbour Luke, who did not want to give his surname, said his partner Miriam rang him screaming that their home was on fire.
‘She was sitting in the flat and she heard cracking like wood popping,’ he added.
‘When she looked out of the balcony to the next door flat she saw it engulfed in flames so she grabbed the dog and ran.
‘During that time there was no fire alarm so she banged on people’s doors to get them to come out. I won’t live above ground level again. I want to be able to get out as quickly as possible. It’s a scary thing as a parent with two kids.
‘Concerns about the block’s safety have been raised for a long time and very recently there was a meeting questioning the wood, the cladding and the builders who installed it.’
The complex ownership structure of the development has meant that residents have had to report their concerns to a number of different agencies.
They have contacted developers Bellway Homes and property management company RMG about the problems with the fire alarm and smoke vent system which was showing an error message.
A Bellway Homes spokesman said: ‘The fire in a low rise block of apartments is a very serious issue and we are working with all parties to establish how this happened.
‘We are supporting London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in securing alternative temporary accommodation.
‘We understand that the blaze was contained to the external envelope of the eastern elevation of the building, with initial reports suggesting that it was caused by a barbecue on a resident’s balcony. We are relieved that the fire protection measures within the building, which received all regulatory approvals, ensured that occupants were safely evacuated.’
‘Sprinklers did not go off’