Massive fire in London - Grenfell Tower in Shepherds Bush

[Superseagull]

Isn't it just. I have a bad feeling we are looking at many casualties here.

Amazed there is no general evacuation alarm in a 24 story building. lots of people only realised there was a fire when people banged on the front doors. Crazy situation in a block of flats only recently refurbished to what I would hope are the current building standards. Is this the same for other tower blocks in this country?

It looks like the outside cladding has caused the fire to spread way to quickly for people to escape.

 

[Mackenzie]

Poor people. Horrible, sad news to wake up to.

 

[Butch Willykins]

Just woken up to see this.

Shocking to see the extent of this fire and then read (via the earlier posted link) that residents were advised to stay in their flats in the event of fire

You would like to think in this modern age we live in that there would be ways to stop fire spreading as quickly or as widely as it has done here on buildings like this and there would be evacuation and fire suppression systems that sprung into action when the fire first started. (is new legislation required? and more importantly, making sure legislation is enforced)

I hope everyone made it out alive but fear that there will loss of life from this incident.

Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been taken.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Amazed there is no general evacuation alarm in a 24 story building. lots of people only realised there was a fire when people banged on the front doors. Crazy situation in a block of flats only recently refurbished to what I would hope are the current building standards. Is this the same for other tower blocks in this country?

It looks like the outside cladding has caused the fire to spread way to quickly for people to escape.

I took the bit on the video about banging on doors to be neighbouring buildings and not in the building that's on fire, it wasn't clear to which it referred to in the video but i hope i am right and that there were alarms in the one affected and that gave the residents a chance to escape

 

[nicko31]

Think looks horrendous

 

[Gazwag]

I took the bit on the video about banging on doors to be neighbouring buildings and not in the building that's on fire, it wasn't clear to which it referred to in the video but i hope i am right and that there were alarms in the one affected and that gave the residents a chance to escape

Man interviewed on BBC who escaped from inside the building said the smoke alarms could only be heard outside of their flat

 

[Bold Seagull]

Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been

Not sure what products, but it's obviously had a transforming facelift with the refurbishment.

 

[atomised]

Some fatalities confirmed. Such sad news

 

[simmo]

Amazed there is no general evacuation alarm in a 24 story building. lots of people only realised there was a fire when people banged on the front doors. Crazy situation in a block of flats only recently refurbished to what I would hope are the current building standards. Is this the same for other tower blocks in this country?

It looks like the outside cladding has caused the fire to spread way to quickly for people to escape.

I know there seems to be no general fire alarm within the building (that must be illegal, surely) and residents were told to stay inside their rooms in the event of fire, to wait for the fire brigade to rescue them. Unless (many) people escaped by the fire escape (if there was one) the casualties are going to be really bad.

I saw a poor person waving a towel out of a flat 20ish stories up on the TV, I just cannot see how the fire brigade could have got to them on time.

 

[trueblue]

This is horribly predictive.......

https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/

That's an astonishing read. Too early to jump to conclusions but, in principle, if rules have been broken and there is negligence, I really hope we see some prison sentences for once.

It appears the scale of lives lost is going to be horrendous beyond belief.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Horrific. Those poor people.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Really sad. Horrible, horrible situation.

 

[Stat Brother]

Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been taken.

View attachment 86321

Yesterday 'Fire & Dice' popped up on my podcast feed.
Sadly another example of how it can go horribly wrong if safety shortcuts are taken.

https://www.damninteresting.com/podcast/

 

[vegster]

Terrible for all those involved, I could never live in a tower like that as if anything like this happens you are doomed if you are above the second floor.

 

[simmo]

Below shows how fire can spread around the external envelope rapidly (left hand side). If everything is done properly then the scenario would be more like the right hand side. Obviously this is not the time for an inquest - I just hope the residents and emergency services get out safe - but my gut feeling, particularly knowing this industry, is that short cuts have been taken.

View attachment 86321

In light of your diagram read this from a resident........

The BBC's Claire Heald has spoken to a woman called Zeinab at the scene.

She says: "There wasn't any other fire exit, except the staircase where the fire was coming.

"My youngest sister-in-law and my father-in-law were stuck. I was taken out but then lost contact with my father.

"The building has been redone on the outside, a cover - some kind of plastic has been put on it and the windows done.

"The fire went under a new cover which had been put on with wooden slats. Most of the residents were worried about this.

"We had meetings about the works and were worried it would happen."

 

[Titanic]

Truly awful

 

[Notters]

The trouble with a lot of these places is that all the asbestos has been ripped out, which is likely to leave them more vulnerable to fire.

 

[Insel affe]

Horrific

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

It said on radio 5 that the building was tarted up with plastic cladding so it would look nicer for the benefit of a new (academy?) school that was opening a couple of years ago.

Looking at some of the telly from last night it looks like the fire spread across the outside of the building through the plastic, which seemed to go up like one of those unsafe nighties that were banned in the 1970s.

If true this adds scandal to tragedy

 

[matey]

This is horribly predictive.......

https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/

Damn .. a quick read at the action group and they asked this in 2014 .. Is grenfell tower a firetrap .. https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/is-grenfell-tower-a-firetrap/