Fire alarms working in NQ apartment block
FIRE alarm systems in a 20-storey apartment block in the Northern Quarter were operational and activated when a fierce blaze broke out. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said an inspection has also found the construction of the building does meet national building regulation requirements. A 23-year-old man was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, and others were treated at the scene, after the fire at the Lighthouse Apartments on Joiner Street in the city centre. The brigade said an investigation to determine a specific cause was continuing, but confirmed the fire started in an open plan kitchen of a ninth floor apartment. The M.E.N. understands that one line of inquiry is that food was left cooking unattended. More than 50 firefighters raced to the scene at 4pm on Saturday. The fire service said the blaze spread to wooden balconies on several floors. A spokesman confirmed the building’s fire alarm systems worked as they were designed to do, with a smoke detector warning the occupant of the initial fire, who then evacuated. When the building-wide communal fire detection subsequently activated, it initiated a call to the fire service and triggered the safety features of the building installed for firefighting, the brigade said.
Inspections have also now established that the building’s ‘integrity and safety’ is suitable for the majority of people living in the apartments to return to their homes.
Landlords have arranged alternative accommodation for residents of seven apartments affected on the ninth floor.
Cladding did not contribute to the fire, investigators said.
Manchester council’s deputy leader said: “The fire service deserves huge praise for their heroic work in tackling this fire which prevented this incident from becoming more serious than it was.
“We also welcome the constructive role the building’s owners CapitalClimb, and the management of the aparthotel, played both on the night and since.
“Senior officers and councillors have already met with senior fire service representatives and the building’s owners to discuss the incident and next steps.
“While the building met all national building regulations at the time it was built and its internal fire defences performed well in limiting the impact of the fire, we fully understand that people will be concerned about what was a very dramaticlooking incident because of the external spread of the fire.
“There are always lessons to be learned from this sort of incident - and the council are determined to play our part to ensure they are - but there should be no cause for undue alarm.” A spokesman for owners CapitalClimb said: “We are satisfied following the fire officer’s report that the building performed as designed in the circumstances and we are relieved and thankful that no-one was injured in the
incident.”