Massive fire in London apartment block

[Steveml63]

Hi,
Woke up this morning to terrible news of a massive fire in a London tower block.
London tower block fire: Flames engulf Grenfell Tower - BBC News
Frightening how seriously damaged the building is and how quickly the fire spread.
You would expect tower blocks like this to have sprinkler systems in place.
Let's also hope it was not terrorist related (somebody building a bomb in their apartment?)
Cheers
Steve

 

[Marvin16x]

Horrific images. I hope there weren't too many people in there It's especially tragic since helicopters cannot approach such a scene and get people out.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if this tower eventually collapsed since there had been another building a few years back that wasn't hit as badly at all but still crumbled due to a few local fires. This building here is fully alight it seems.

RIP those who have lost their lives.

 

[markjay]

Very very sad news indeed.... my thoughts are with all those affected and with the emergency services who attended the scene.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

How sad

 

[saff]

Deeply shocked

 

[Darrell]

I'm working opposite at the BBC.

 

[Cubase]

Awful. Reports suggest it was the cladding that caught fire.

 

[Darrell]

Awful. Reports suggest it was the cladding that caught fire.

It does appear to be the case.

 

[GeeJayW]

Horrendous. A resident that managed to get himself and family out was just saying that the cladding caught fire very quickly. Not expecting much good news from this story at all. Certain to be a number of fatalities IMHO. Very sad.

 

[grober]

Kensington and Chelsea to the Tenant Management Organisation - About Us

Residents Warned Last Year Grenfell Tower Was A Fire Risk - LBC

https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/

 

[Darrell]

From the BBC roof it looks awful. There are police everywhere and the A40 is closed.

 

[renault12ts]

Architecture 101: How to burn down a tower block.

1. Clad the whole structure in a flammable material...

The designers and specifiers of the extensive refurbishment finished last year should...swing.

 

[Darrell]

Talking to the structural boys here, they reckon it could collapse.

 

[Cymruambyth]

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if this tower eventually collapsed since there had been another building a few years back that wasn't hit as badly at all but still crumbled due to a few local fires.

Twin towers?????

 

[markjay]

The death toll is as yet unknown, but with reported 500 residents living in 130 flats... and the fire occurring at night and people are at home... the number of fatalities is unlikely to be low.

And, I fear that among those injured or worse there may be fire-fighters.

 

[markjay]

Twin towers?????

That's the stuff of conspiracy theories... yes, sadly tall buildings can and do collapse if exposed to fire and extreme heat, in spite of what endless oddball websites and various armchair architects might say.

 

[renault12ts]

One fire in one flat will not bring a block down.

But an extensive fire across many whole floors will severely weaken the structure. Internal fire proofing is mainly to allow escape but cannot hold back the heat from the structural elements for very long.

It is unbelievable that they could not foresee this...it has happened before:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/dubai-hotel-fire

 

[markjay]

Some interesting details form witnesses:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ents-tell-of-escaping-the-grenfell-tower-fire

At least people living on the 17th floor did manage to get out, so there's some hope that a significant number of people managed to escape in time?

Also, the claims regarding 'flammable cladding' will no doubt be looked into very closely.

 

[ShinyF1]

One fire in one flat will not bring a block down. But an extensive fire across many whole floors will severely weaken the structure. Internal fire proofing is mainly to allow escape but cannot hold back the heat from the structural elements for very long. It is unbelievable that they could not foresee this...it has happened before.

Exactly - the best fire protection will only give you a small opportunity for escape, but it's entirely dependent on where the fire is and what compartmentation exists in the common areas of the building. This building had limited access/egress points as with any tower.

Ultimately the fire will take hold and the intense heat will likely be fatal for the building structure. Where in the building do they think this one started or is it too early to say?

I fear that fatalities will numerous.

 

[GLK]

Terrible news.

All that expensive renovation and no sprinkler system in the communal areas and balconies, at least?