One year after Grenfell tragedy
RESIDENTS in two high-rise blocks told of their terror after fleeing their homes after fires broke out exactly a year after the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Eight people were taken to hospital after firefighters tackled a blaze in Commercial Court in Gorbals yesterday morning.
Meanwhile in Lewisham in south east London, around 150 residents of a 20-storey block dashed to safety after flames took hold. More than 60 firefighters tackled that blaze.
Residents there later spoke of their fears of another Grenfell-style tragedy.
One, Alix Mabon, 25, said: “The first thought that came into my head was, ‘Oh my God, it’s Grenfell. We’re going to be the next Grenfell’.”
Both incidents highlighted ongoing safety concerns among people living in high-rise flats following last June’s Grenfell Tower disaster in which 72 people died.
Firefighters were called to Commercial Court near Ballater Street in Gorbals after smoke was seen billowing from a 14th floor kitchen at around 8am.
Residents told later how they helped each other to safety while more than 10 fire crews, police and emergency services tackled the incident.
Stacey Holmes, 27, said: “I never heard any fire alarms when the fire happened. I just heard screaming.
“I got up and looked outside and there was four fire engines and I thought something wasn’t right.
“I went to the landing and it was full of water, it was coming through my door. I then found out there was a fire and we were asked to stay where we were and wait further instructions.”
The mother-of-one who lives on the 4th floor of the building, added: “I had to help my elderly neighbour who’s disabled and we all got out.”
Eliot Brown, 19, who was evacuated from his flat on the 13th floor, said: “I woke up and opened my eyes and saw smoke rising past the window.
“I thought it was mist at first and then after that I heard a knock on the door and it was someone shouting to get out.”
Eight people were taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue officer in charge of the incident, Alan Fairbairn, said: “Operations Control mobilised a number of resources to the scene at Commercial Court, where firefighters extinguished the flames. A total of eight casualties were passed into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service and transported to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is the local MSP, later tweeted her thanks to emergency services.
Meanwhile London Fire Brigade said a sprinkler system had suppressed the fire which broke out in a flat on the 13th floor of Roma Corte in Lewisham. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A spokesman for Barratt Residential Asset Management, the firm that manages the building, said that “full fire safety procedures in the building were followed successfully”.
The Queen and the Duchess of Sussex halted a visit to Chester to lead the nation in a silent 72-second tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
It was the Duchess’s first official appointment without her husband. The Queen wore green – the colour adopted by survivors and relatives of the dead – in tribute to Grenfell victims.
The silence was marked across the country, including at government buildings, while a memorial service was held in St Helen’s Church near the west London tower block.
Victims’ names were read out and bereaved families released doves and lit candles in memory of their loved ones.
The Bishop of Kensington said people were still seeking answers but there was “positivity”, while Labour MP David Lammy said it was a “bittersweet” moment as the community celebrated their unity but mourned those lost.
I thought we’re going to be the next Grenfell