Apartment inferno burns in london

[DeafDucky]

Hmm were there no fire escapes- the metal kind that is "built in" on the side of the structure? But then again from the way it's described they were likely inaccessible if that building even had them.

 

[seb]

My understanding is that this building was recently "retrofit."
No fire alarms to speak of, no sprinkler system, ad nauseam.

Yes, the building had just undergone a major remodel and the new siding is thought to be the cause of the entire outside of the building going up in flames. Sad that it takes major calamities like this fire to get the govt. to enact fire regulations to make buildings safer. It has happened in the US many, many times starting with the Great Chicago fire of 1871 killing 300, then the Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago in 1903, that killed 602 people, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911, that killed 148 workers, The Ohio State Penitentiary Fire, in 1930, that killed 320 inmates and the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire that only lasted 12 minutes but killed 492 in 1942. All of these fires helped shape the US fire codes and many other countries adopted similar laws. The UK has been slow to adopt updated fire codes especially ones that involve sprinkler and/or suppression systems. The West London Estate had undergone a major renovation and despite many complaints that the building was a potential fire trap no sprinklers were installed during the renovation.

 

[Calvin]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html