Latest News Archive: 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

Lakanal House Tragedy

Portable TV to blame

Initial investigations have found that the fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell on 3 July 2009 was caused by an electrical fault in a portable TV set. The announcement was made by DI Rick Murphy on behalf of the joint investigation by the police, London Fire Brigade and the Forensic Science Service.

The fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell shows how quickly a blaze can rage out of control and the six deaths remind all safety professionals of the need to stay on top of their fire safety measures.

Update July 2010 - Firefighters tackling the fatal Lakanal House fire last year did not have access to building plans, the head of fire safety regulation at London Fire Brigade has said. Constant media coverage, including the presence of a Sky News helicopter, eye witness accounts and interviews were also among the difficult and “intense” conditions Mr Turek said the Brigade faced while battling with the blaze. This circumstance was compounded by visible fatalities and rush-hour traffic. Source: Info4Fire

Housing Providers - How we can help

If you are a provider of accommodation, be it in the Local Authority Housing Sector or the Private Housing Sector, (Housing Associations, Managed Housing of Multiple Occupation etc.) then you are bound to have concerns and questions to be answered.

We have already been contacted by several Housing Associations and one Local Authority regarding this tragedy. We have an understanding of the problems you may be facing and also the impending impact from the enforcing authority. Enforcing authorities will not want this happening on their patch, and will therefore be auditing fire risk assessments and fire procedures.

In assisting you we have two lines of immediate attack:

Our first weapon is always the Fire Risk Assessment
Our second line of attack is Fire Safety Training

Escape routes

Some key points to ensuring your escape routes are well maintained:

Does the fire alarm and emergency lighting work, has it been tested in the last six months? If not GET IT TESTED
Is there rubbish or storage on escape route? If so GET IT MOVED
Are fire doors in communal areas broken, missing or damaged? If so GET THEM REPAIRED
Is the integrity of the fire enclosed staircases maintained (i.e. Fire Resistant glass cracked, holes in the walls where services have been drilled through)? If not GET THEM REPAIRED
Is the means of evacuating the building and accounting for residents tried and tested? If not GET THEM TRAINED
Is the fire safety signage in communal areas in place? If not GET THEM IN PLACE

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