Your London firefighters have been fighting hard and valiantly...

Ammo08 · June 2017

Tall buildings, especially old ones, are a firefighters nightmare. This is a terrible tragedy, I just pray the numbers of dead and injured aren't as high as being reported.

Number24 · June 2017

I hear the fire alarm didn't go off, there are also reports that the plastic cover on the outside walls might have been higly flameable.
We know little so far. I'm always impressed by firefighters and I hope for the best.

Thunderpussy · June 2017

A truly horrible event.

Chriscoop · June 2017

There were 6 dead last I heard but this is expected to rise unfortunately. Terrible truly terrible

Dirty Punker · June 2017

Terrible event. People (according to eyewitnesses) jumped out the building. Unprecedented fire, no alarm, no sprinklers...nothing.
Not a good year for England, from the looks of things

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Hardyboy · June 2017

Thinking of my friends in England. . .

Number24 · June 2017

I can't help thinking the building would have been safer if the inhabitants were richer.

Lady Rose · June 2017

Number24 wrote:

I hear the fire alarm didn't go off, there are also reports that the plastic cover on the outside walls might have been higly flameable.
We know little so far. I'm always impressed by firefighters and I hope for the best.

The cladding around the building is already getting a lot of mentions but we will have to wait and see ...

Our emergency services and communities have certainly been tested these past few weeks.

Chriscoop · June 2017

Number24 wrote:

I can't help thinking the building would have been safer if the inhabitants were richer.

The building had a 10 million pound renovation only 3 years ago and according to the building company all current regulations were met. With it being a council owned building those regulations are very strict. Unfortunately as is often the case self closing fire doors are propped open fire extinguishers stolen.... I'm not even sure a sprinkler system would have helped. It's a tragedy but considering the amount of people in that building it's a miracle the dead don't number much more. We live in a culture where there always has to be blame as sad as it is accidents happen and people will suffer you simply can't legislate for being human.

Higgins · June 2017

Here, every building over 21 meters (max fireladder) must have a non-burning facade.

Number24 · June 2017

Chriscoop wrote:

Number24 wrote:

I can't help thinking the building would have been safer if the inhabitants were richer.

The building had a 10 million pound renovation only 3 years ago and according to the building company all current regulations were met. With it being a council owned building those regulations are very strict. Unfortunately as is often the case self closing fire doors are propped open fire extinguishers stolen.... I'm not even sure a sprinkler system would have helped. It's a tragedy but considering the amount of people in that building it's a miracle the dead don't number much more. We live in a culture where there always has to be blame as sad as it is accidents happen and people will suffer you simply can't legislate for being human.

Time will tell. Perhaps you're right.

Lady Rose · June 2017

Chriscoop wrote:

Number24 wrote:

I can't help thinking the building would have been safer if the inhabitants were richer.

The building had a 10 million pound renovation only 3 years ago and according to the building company all current regulations were met. With it being a council owned building those regulations are very strict. Unfortunately as is often the case self closing fire doors are propped open fire extinguishers stolen.... I'm not even sure a sprinkler system would have helped. It's a tragedy but considering the amount of people in that building it's a miracle the dead don't number much more. We live in a culture where there always has to be blame as sad as it is accidents happen and people will suffer you simply can't legislate for being human.

There is a lot of speculation about the cladding which I believe is the same stuff that has been banned in Dubai after several similar fires there.

The cladding was fitted to help with insulation. However there is a gap between the cladding and the original concrete facade to prevent moisture gathering and it is believed that this gap has acted as a chimney/wind tunnel and hence why the fire spread so quickly.

There have been fires in the block before the refurb but they have always been contained.

This is all purely speculation obviously but I will just add the the building company managed to remove all the details of the refurb from their web site in the early hours of the morning.

Chriscoop · June 2017

Lady Rose wrote:

Chriscoop wrote:

Number24 wrote:

I can't help thinking the building would have been safer if the inhabitants were richer.

The building had a 10 million pound renovation only 3 years ago and according to the building company all current regulations were met. With it being a council owned building those regulations are very strict. Unfortunately as is often the case self closing fire doors are propped open fire extinguishers stolen.... I'm not even sure a sprinkler system would have helped. It's a tragedy but considering the amount of people in that building it's a miracle the dead don't number much more. We live in a culture where there always has to be blame as sad as it is accidents happen and people will suffer you simply can't legislate for being human.

There is a lot of speculation about the cladding which I believe is the same stuff that has been banned in Dubai after several similar fires there.

The cladding was fitted to help with insulation. However there is a gap between the cladding and the original concrete facade to prevent moisture gathering and it is believed that this gap has acted as a chimney/wind tunnel and hence why the fire spread so quickly.

There have been fires in the block before the refurb but they have always been contained.

This is all purely speculation obviously but I will just add the the building company managed to remove all the details of the refurb from their web site in the early hours of the morning.

That's smacks of distancing themselves from this! I'm not trying say the building or the regulations are foolproof,but you can only work to current regulations whether they are right or wrong.

Lady Rose · June 2017

Chriscoop wrote:

That's smacks of distancing themselves from this! I'm not trying say the building or the regulations are foolproof,but you can only work to current regulations whether they are right or wrong.

I agree.

I'm pretty sure that they did work to current regulations but I heard someone on the news last night saying they were out of date and hadn't been looked at for 11 years or something ...

Non of which helps the poor people who have suffered but no doubt we will hear the ridiculous 'lessons will be learned' numerous times over the coming weeks. 8-)

Loeffelholz · June 2017

A truly awful tragedy. I hope the right people face consequences.

The Red Kind · June 2017

The more details that emerge the more heartbreaking this becomes..

Number24 · June 2017

One has to question the morality of buildings so tall the inhabitants can't be saved by firefighters.

Chriscoop · June 2017

Apparently experts say if it had been built just 4 years before it would have collapsed! I'm having a hard time listening to news etc as everyone seems to be turning this human tragedy into a political issue! Which is absolutely ridiculous and undermining the tragic loss of lives.

chrisisall · June 2017

Keeping the heroes & victims of this terrible event in my thoughts.

The Wicker Man · June 2017

A number of years ago I lost my gran to a house fire. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy.

BondJasonBond006 · June 2017

This is such a tragedy. I will be in Kensington again in September for 10 days. It will feel strange.

By main concern is all the people who have survived and have lost all they own. I do hope the city will properly take care of them.

Napoleon Plural · June 2017

I think it's political really. I assume Kensington and Chelsea council didn't want poor people in their borough, so didn't see the point of shelling out cash to refit the tower block, seeing as they'd want it pulled down in 10 or 20 years time and redone as nice luxury apartments for billionaires. Hence the refit was done on the cheap. Now it's all this.

Lady Rose · June 2017

Napoleon Plural wrote:

I think it's political really. I assume Kensington and Chelsea council didn't want poor people in their borough, so didn't see the point of shelling out cash to refit the tower block, seeing as they'd want it pulled down in 10 or 20 years time and redone as nice luxury apartments for billionaires. Hence the refit was done on the cheap. Now it's all this.

It's become very political which is disgusting.It has become politically expedient for certain groups to capitalise on this tragic event.

All you read now is the cladding was put there to improve the aesthetics for the uber rich however, when the tragedy first occurred we were told that the cladding was put there to improve energy efficiency and heating .... 8-)

Your London firefighters have been fighting hard and valiantly...

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