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Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 3:10 am
by Techmomof2
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... block.html

Towering inferno: Screaming residents build ropes from sheets and lean out windows as huge fire at West London tower block engulfs the 27-storey building with 200 firefighters struggling to control the blaze

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 10:18 am
by Hokie CPA
Bloody hell! How are 27 floors engulfed like that in just 15 minutes? This isn't some third world ghetto here.... surely there are building codes. Fire resistant building materials, fire suppression system.... it doesn't appear any steps were taken to prevent an event like this.

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:36 pm
by RiverguyVT
Hokie CPA wrote:Bloody hell! How are 27 floors engulfed like that in just 15 minutes? This isn't some third world ghetto here.... surely there are building codes. Fire resistant building materials, fire suppression system.... it doesn't appear any steps were taken to prevent an event like this.
I'll be interested to learn the cause of the fire...

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:02 pm
by cwtcr hokie
Hokie CPA wrote:Bloody hell! How are 27 floors engulfed like that in just 15 minutes? This isn't some third world ghetto here.... surely there are building codes. Fire resistant building materials, fire suppression system.... it doesn't appear any steps were taken to prevent an event like this.
yea, how could the building not have a sprinkler system?? something is fishy here as in modern buildings that kind of fire spread in a high rise with no accelerant (like a plane full of fuel) would be very difficult

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:17 pm
by Vienna_Hokie
cwtcr hokie wrote:
Hokie CPA wrote:Bloody hell! How are 27 floors engulfed like that in just 15 minutes? This isn't some third world ghetto here.... surely there are building codes. Fire resistant building materials, fire suppression system.... it doesn't appear any steps were taken to prevent an event like this.
yea, how could the building not have a sprinkler system?? something is fishy here as in modern buildings that kind of fire spread in a high rise with no accelerant (like a plane full of fuel) would be very difficult
This is unreal..... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40269625

Just thinking about what would be there to burn in an apartment building (furniture, drapes, etc) that intense a fire seems odd. You have wallboard which tends to smolder and slow the expansion of a fire and a steel and glass frame. On it's surface and in the world we live in (especially London right now) you have to wonder until some facts are uncovered.

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:20 pm
by 133743Hokie
If it is an older building, as many are in London, it may well be grandfathered re life safety codes. And their codes are much different than ours to start with. Lots of combustibles in residential buildings and lots of vertical paths that may or may not have been addressed if under older codes.

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:34 pm
by cwtcr hokie
133743Hokie wrote:If it is an older building, as many are in London, it may well be grandfathered re life safety codes. And their codes are much different than ours to start with. Lots of combustibles in residential buildings and lots of vertical paths that may or may not have been addressed if under older codes.
it did not look that old, looked modern build. The report I saw said that there had been quite a few issues with the building tho

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:34 pm
by WestEndHokie39
133743Hokie wrote:If it is an older building, as many are in London, it may well be grandfathered re life safety codes. And their codes are much different than ours to start with. Lots of combustibles in residential buildings and lots of vertical paths that may or may not have been addressed if under older codes.
My sister in law is from the Derby area of England. I think I will reach out to her to see if she has some insight.

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 2:05 pm
by 133743Hokie
cwtcr hokie wrote:
133743Hokie wrote:If it is an older building, as many are in London, it may well be grandfathered re life safety codes. And their codes are much different than ours to start with. Lots of combustibles in residential buildings and lots of vertical paths that may or may not have been addressed if under older codes.
it did not look that old, looked modern build. The report I saw said that there had been quite a few issues with the building tho
Looked like 50s-60s era architecture to me. JMO.

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 2:32 pm
by Major Kong
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.

A two-year £10m refurbishment - which was part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.

There was also extensive remodelling of the bottom four floors, creating nine additional homes, and improvements to communal facilities.

Rydon said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire" adding that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards".

The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Robert Black, chief executive of KCTMO, said: "The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

"Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community.

"Currently we're focusing on helping those residents, and London Fire Brigade is investigating the safety of the tower's structure, but we will issue a further statement in due course."

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:05 pm
by WestEndHokie39
Major Kong wrote:
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.

A two-year £10m refurbishment - which was part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.

There was also extensive remodelling of the bottom four floors, creating nine additional homes, and improvements to communal facilities.

Rydon said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire" adding that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards".

The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Robert Black, chief executive of KCTMO, said: "The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

"Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community.

"Currently we're focusing on helping those residents, and London Fire Brigade is investigating the safety of the tower's structure, but we will issue a further statement in due course."
Some more detail about the building's construction from an article I found:

1) Sprinkler systems are not required in Great Britain for buildings even of that size.
2) Building codes still allow one stairwell.
3) Design regulations should have ensured that the fire was contained in the apartment in which it started.
4) The "cladding" that was replaced in 2015 is believed to have had a plastic core, rather than a more fire resistant mineral core (not sure how much of a difference it would have made).

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:17 pm
by cwtcr hokie
WestEndHokie39 wrote:
Major Kong wrote:
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.

A two-year £10m refurbishment - which was part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.

There was also extensive remodelling of the bottom four floors, creating nine additional homes, and improvements to communal facilities.

Rydon said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire" adding that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards".

The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Robert Black, chief executive of KCTMO, said: "The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

"Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community.

"Currently we're focusing on helping those residents, and London Fire Brigade is investigating the safety of the tower's structure, but we will issue a further statement in due course."
Some more detail about the building's construction from an article I found:

1) Sprinkler systems are not required in Great Britain for buildings even of that size.
2) Building codes still allow one stairwell.
3) Design regulations should have ensured that the fire was contained in the apartment in which it started.
4) The "cladding" that was replaced in 2015 is believed to have had a plastic core, rather than a more fire resistant mineral core (not sure how much of a difference it would have made).
I for one am not living in a high rise without a sprinkler system, recipe for disaster

Re: Horrible Fire in London

Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 7:55 pm
by 133743Hokie
WestEndHokie39 wrote:
Major Kong wrote:
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.

A two-year £10m refurbishment - which was part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.

There was also extensive remodelling of the bottom four floors, creating nine additional homes, and improvements to communal facilities.

Rydon said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire" adding that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards".

The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Robert Black, chief executive of KCTMO, said: "The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

"Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community.

"Currently we're focusing on helping those residents, and London Fire Brigade is investigating the safety of the tower's structure, but we will issue a further statement in due course."
Some more detail about the building's construction from an article I found:

1) Sprinkler systems are not required in Great Britain for buildings even of that size.
2) Building codes still allow one stairwell.
3) Design regulations should have ensured that the fire was contained in the apartment in which it started.
4) The "cladding" that was replaced in 2015 is believed to have had a plastic core, rather than a more fire resistant mineral core (not sure how much of a difference it would have made).
Also, residents say the fire alarm protocol was to stay in your apartment until firefighters arrived to get you out and to safety. That was a bad, bad decision for this building.