It was a disaster waiting to happen... a massive scandal it could have been
GOVERNMENT WAS WARNED THAT 4,00O TOWER BLOCKS LACKED SPRINKLERS
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A MAJOR probe began last night after predictions of a “catastrophic” blaze at Grenfell Tower were ignored.
Reg Kerr-Bell, a former tenancy chief who had spoken out about the building, said it was a “disaster waiting to happen”.
Questions were also being raised over bizarre advice telling residents to stay holed up in their flats.
It meant dozens of families remained and refused to flee the killer fire when they had the chance.
Tenants could only watch in horror as their worst nightmares, which they repeatedly warned could happen on a residents’ group blog, unfolded.
Grenfell Action Group said in November “only a catastrophic event” would expose the safety issues in the building. Mr Kerr-Bell said: “This is a scandal. “This is one of the biggest scandals in the country – and it could have been avoided.”
Yesterday it emerged there are 4,000 similar tower blocks across Britain.
Former chief fire officer Ronnie King, who is honorary secretary of a parliamentary group on fire safety, said the regulations “badly need updating” and “three successive ministers have not done it”.
He said the group had “strongly recommended” installing fire suppression systems and sprinklers in 4,000 blocks nationwide.
Their probe came after six people were killed in a blaze at Lakanal House in Camberwell, south-east London, in 2009.
He added: “We were recommending it because the fire at Lakanal spread within four minutes and into the flat above.”
Mr King said it was likely similar failings existed in Grenfell House. He said: “I wouldn’t have expected fire to spread like that if there had been automatic sprinklers.
“New buildings over 30 metres now require fire suppression to be installed.
“But there are 4,000 older tower blocks in the UK that don’t have sprinklers.
“There are people who would argue that it’s too costly and there are other measures that could have been done but it’s a fact that people don’t die in sprinkler buildings.”
It came as those who managed to escape the death trap tower described it as “hell on earth” as they trampled over bodies to get away.
They also claimed there were no working fire alarms and the only staircase to safety was blocked.
The action group posted: “All our warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time.”
The tenants’ group claimed access to the building was “severely restricted” for emergency services, and residents were advised to stay in their flats in the event of a fire.
Just four years ago they called for the tower to be pulled down over “appalling” fire safety practices.
Instead, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation undertook an £8.7million refurbishment last year, re-cladding the building and installing new windows and several new flats.
Last night, now-homeless tenants were blaming the work for allowing the fire to spread within minutes.
One resident, who did not want to give his name but lived on the 17th floor of the 1970s block, said the “real issue was when it caught fire to the cladding”.
He added: “The whole side of the building was on fire. The cladding went up like a matchstick.”
Rydon Construction, which carried out