After London fire, more high-rises found with combustible material
LONDON — At least 11 buildings in Britain are clad in combustible material of a kind similar to the cladding that was used on the exterior of Grenfell Tower, the apartment building destroyed in London’s deadliest fire in decades, officials said Thursday, as they scrambled to conduct safety checks on at least 600 other high-rise buildings.
Exterior cladding is thought to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire, which consumed the 24-story Grenfell Tower in West London in just one hour, early June 14. The fire killed at least 79 people and left hundreds of survivors homeless.
The cladding on the building — sheets of aluminum composite material, encasing a flammable polyethylene insulation — has been associated with highrise fires in other countries and its use is restricted in the United States and elsewhere. It was permitted under British regulations, even though safety experts have long warned that the metal sheets could melt under intense heat, allowing a blaze to race through the combustible material between them.
Over the weekend, the government ordered the local authorities to review records on residential buildings that are more than about 60 feet in height and are clad with “aluminumtype panels.”
“Shortly before I came to this chamber, I was informed that a number of tests have come back as combustible,” Prime Minister Theresa May told lawmakers. “The relevant local authorities and local fire services have been informed, and as I speak, they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe, and to inform affected residents.”
The announcement startled some members of Parliament, several of whom peppered May with critical questions. Shortly after, May’s aides told journalists that 600 buildings in England contained combustible material “similar” to the kind used on Grenfell Tower.
As news spread, however, May’s office issued a clarification — saying that the 600 referred to the total number of buildings that were being subjected to safety tests after the review.
The cladding at Grenfell Tower was installed as part of a renovation that was completed in May 2016.
The government did not identify the 11 buildings with combustible cladding, but the London borough of Camden announced on Thursday that the same contractor and cladding supplier involved in the Grenfell Tower renovation had also worked on the refurbishment of the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage, in northwest London.
The aluminum cladding panels “were not to the standard that we had commissioned,” the borough said in a statement, adding that it was considering legal action.