Fire safety flaws at hundreds of tower blocks
Investigation finds array of deficiencies
HUNDREDS OF towers across England were discovered to have fire safety flaws including broken fire doors and holes which could help blazes spread, new figures show. An investigation by Inside
Housing of fire risk assessments (FRAs) at 436 social housing blocks revealed nearly a third (268) had fire doors which were damaged, unable to close properly or of an inadequate standard.
Fire safety at high-rise buildings has been thrust into the spotlight after at least 80 people died, many as they tried to escape, from the 24-storey Grenfell Tower last month.
The trade magazine found 71 blocks had been identified as suffering from a lack or deficiency of emergency lighting in stairwells or communal areas, which could hamper the escape of tenants.
At 73 buildings, residents were either offered no safety information for fires or it was unclear or incorrect, the investigation found.
FRAs from the blocks were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from 36 councils or arms-length management organisations and seven housing associations, dated between 2012 and July 2017 – meaning some issues could have since been resolved.
There are around 4,000 tower blocks across England, at which there is no legal requirement for those managing the buildings to carry out the fire-safety assessments within a specific timeframe.
Fire experts, however, recommend annual checks.
Holes in the walls of service rooms were found at 109 highrises by the FRAs, opening up the possibility that fire and smoke could pass through them and fill corridors in the event of fire.
Similarly, 54 were identified as having faulty or broken ventilation, which would be used to clear the hallways of smoke, and 44 had exposed pipes or hanging electric cables.
The overall fire risk at the towers could still be higher than FRAs portray, as many were said to be “type 1” assessments, meaning they did not examine the state of flats themselves or cladding and insulation on their exterior.
A nationwide safety operation was launched to establish how many buildings were clad in material similar to that blamed for aiding the Grenfell Tower fire’s spread, exposing hundreds potentially at risk.
Ronnie King, honorary administrative secretary of the AllParty Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group, said: “Unless assessors go into flats there’s no point.
“Fire resistance can get punctured by people breaking into cavities to do other work.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged that work will start next month to cover up the scorched Grenfell block.
It will be coated in a protective wrap from mid-August to help forensic investigations and ease the eventual demolition of the building, which is due to take place “towards the end of 2018”.
Michael Lockwood, who has been inside the building five times, estimated the recovery operation could last until mid-November, while the criminal investigation involving material being collected from the building could go on until January.
He told a public meeting this week: “I think that to be honest, the building will stay up throughout 2018.
“Then towards the end of 2018, I think we could start to bring it down, if that is what the community wants, and the scaffolding will help us to do that because we can do that within the wrap.”
Any decision on what happens to the site after the eventual deconstruction would be made with input from the community.
Mr Lockwood added there were some flats in the doomed building that were “completely untouched and in perfect condition and there are some that are absolutely devastated”.
There are around 33 flats from which personal possessions might now be retrieved. After the meeting, Mr Lockwood said that efforts to get those items back might begin “in the next week or so” before they are lost.
Fire resistance can be punctured by people breaking into cavities. Ronnie King, of the All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group.