London council evacuates residents
One London community is evacuating some 800 households from five publicly owned apartment towers because of safety concerns following the devastating fire that killed 79 people in a west London high-rise last week.
The move comes as residents of thousands of tower blocks around Britain expressed concern about safety after commonly used building materials were blamed for rapidly spreading the blaze at Grenfell Tower.
Camden Council in north London, which announced the evacuation Friday night, was the first local government to take the dramatic step of emptying its buildings so safety upgrades could be made.
Council leader Georgia Gould said the borough made the decision after the London Fire Brigade and council experts said they couldn’t guarantee the safety of residents after inspecting the five towers. The inspectors were following up on previously unknown safety complaints from residents, she said.
“I’ve made the really, really difficult decision to move the people living there into temporary accommodation while we do the urgent works to guarantee safety,” Gould told reporters outside the public housing complex. “I know it’s difficult, but Grenfell changes everything.”
Public safety concerns have been prompted by exterior cladding known as aluminum composite panels, which are believed to have rapidly spread the fire at Grenfell Tower on June 14, trapping residents in their homes before firefighters could save them.
Local councils around Britain are testing similar panels on hundreds of their buildings. Fourteen apartment blocks have so far tested positive for combustible materials.
But some residents of the Camden buildings, collectively known as Chalcots Estate, expressed frustration with the lack of information they received about the evacuations.
Edward Strange, who lives on the 11th floor of the Taplow Tower, was on his way to the airport when he heard about the evacuation on the radio and returned to find council workers in neon security vests directing residents to a nearby community center, where they were offered air beds on a badminton court.
“I just think it’s a complete overreaction,” he told Sky News. “Or at least we should be given the choice. If we wanted to leave, we should have the choice to leave. But being told that we have to leave is just ridiculous. It’s our home.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May offered a message of sympathy to the affected residents, taking to Twitter to pledge she would work with relevant authorities to offer support.
“My thoughts are with residents being evacuated in Camden while their homes are made safe tonight,” she said.
The council encouraged residents to stay with friends and family, but promised to provide temporary accommodation, if that weren’t possible. Repairs on the building are expected to be completed within three to four weeks.
The council gave notice it had concerns about the cladding on its buildings Thursday, when tests showed the material was not the fireresistant variety it had ordered.