London fire sparks insulation inquiry

95 buildings use insulation similar to that in fatal inferno.

LONDON — Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday ordered an investigation into cladding and insulation on high-rise towers across the country, as authorities struggled to contain the risk from construction materials that leave tall structures vulnerable to catastrophic fires.

The government announced that 95 buildings, in 32 areas, had used cladding and insulation similar to those installed at Grenfell Tower, the West London apartment building that was consumed by flames June 14 in Britain’s deadliest fire in decades. All 95 buildings fell short in safety tests — “a 100 percent failure rate,” according to a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May. Hun- dreds of other tall buildings are still being tested.

The cladding on the 95 buildings will almost certainly have to be replaced. Such work has already begun on a complex of towers in the Salford area near Manchester. Last week, the London borough of Camden ordered the evacuation of 4,000 residents of a fivetower complex, Chalcots Estate, where the buildings were covered in the same flammable cladding used on Grenfell Tower.

Anxiety about the building materials appeared to be spreading to other countries, even though the United States and most countries in Europe have restrictions on the kind of cladding used on Grenfell Tower. The German city of Wuppertal on Tuesday evacuated about 80 people from an 11-story apartment tower “for fire safety reasons” after “flammable material was found,” a local official said.

Arconic, the U.S. com- pany that sold the combustible material used at the London housing project, said Monday that it would no longer sell the paneling for use in high-rises.

Whirlpool, which in 2014 acquired the manufacturer of the refrigerator in which the fire started, has urged owners to check their units.

The human toll of the fire, which killed at least 79 people, continued to be felt Tuesday, as authorities identified a 5-year-old boy, the youngest known victim so far.

The boy, Isaac Paulous, who was identified from his dental records, died from smoke inhalation, the inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court found. He is among 19 victims to have been formally identified in the fire. The boy choked to death as he and his family tried to escape the flames in their 18th-floor apartment.

Isaac’s family described him as “kind,” “energetic” and “generous.”

PHILIP TOSCANO / WPA POOL / GETTY Prince Charles meets local residents during a visit Tuesday to the Westway Sports Centre, which is acting as a relief center for those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster. Seventy-nine people have been confirmed dead.