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A fire broke out in a high rise building in Dagenham today, forcing the evacuation of 80 people inside the building.
Firefighters rescued around 20 people, two of whom were taken to hospital, after the blaze at Spectrum House in Dagenham.
Many apartments were destroyed, but the London Fire Brigade said they had contained the blaze and all residents were safe.
In a separate incident, just hours after the Dagenham fire, a fire broke out at Charrington Towers in Blackwall, East London.
The cause of both fires is still unknown.
Cladding
The building in Dagenham had “non-compliant” cladding which was being removed.
London Fire Brigade’s assistant commissioner, Patrick Goulborne, suggested issues with cladding on high-rise buildings would also be part of the investigation.
He said: “This is a very dynamic incident and it’s obviously going to require a very complex investigation, not just to determine the cause but also to understand the spread of the fire.”
“It is too early to provide any further details at this time, but [cladding] This will be part of our investigation over the next few days.”
The Fire Protection Union (FBU) said the building would be subject to a fire enforcement notice in 2023, and condemned the use of combustible cladding and the relaxed building regulations in England as a “national scandal”.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “Our hearts go out to the tower residents who have lost their homes and been left traumatised.”
“Once again, a fire has broken out in a home clad in flammable cladding. There needs to be an urgent and rapid investigation into how this happened.”
“Hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in these buildings with a variety of fire safety flaws. This is a national scandal.”
He added: “The FBU has been warning about the risks of deregulation in the building industry for decades. Politicians have put the profits of big business above human lives. As we saw with Grenfell Tower, this can have terrible and tragic consequences.”
“It was already known that high rise buildings in Dagenham were dangerous. These warnings have been ignored time and time again by public authorities and central government. This must change immediately.”
Non-functioning fire alarm
Tariq Zaid, 17, a resident of Spectrum Houses, saw smoke quickly fill his fourth-floor home in the early hours of Monday morning.
he BBC The alarm system in the building didn’t seem to be working properly.
Zaid pressed one button next to the stairs on the fourth floor and another at the entrance, one of which made a sound for a second but “no siren went off.”
He said, “In one breath. [smoke] It compresses the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, and attacks.
“It’s a bit hectic and we’re still trying to come to terms with the reality. We’ve lost everything but at the end of the day, this is reality.”
Blackwall Fire
The fire at Charrington Towers in Blackwall started in a modern building which had only been completed in 2016.
Black smoke was seen pouring from the tower, which is part of the New Providence Wharf complex.
The London Fire Brigade said in a statement: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are battling a fire in an apartment building in a high rise building on Biscayne Boulevard in Blackwall.”
“Half of an apartment and balcony on the 25th floor of a 45-story building are on fire. There is a lot of smoke from the fire. Neighborhood residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed and avoid Biscayne Boulevard if possible.”
“The fire is producing a lot of smoke. Neighborhood residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed and avoid Biscayne Boulevard if possible.”
“Fire brigade 999 control officers received more than 100 calls about the fire. The fire brigade was first called at 13:28. Crews from Millwall, Plaistow, Shadwell and surrounding fire stations are attending the scene.”
Grenfell Tower
The fire is reminiscent of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, which killed 72 people and injured 94.
The Dagenham fire in particular highlights the urgent need to solve the problem of flammable cladding which is ravaging many of the UK’s high rise buildings.
The previous Conservative government forced developers and social housing owners to replace unsafe cladding or be banned from building properties in England, but the process is still ongoing.
The Building Safety Act 2022 was introduced to protect rental apartment owners from cladding repair costs.
However, as of the end of July, 4,630 homes over 11 metres tall still had unsafe cladding.
Half of the buildings have already started or completed cladding removal, with only 29% having completed restoration work.
The final report of the Grenfell Tower inquiry is due to be published next week.
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