Apartment inferno burns in london

Reba

Reba

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Two hundred firefighters and 40 fire engines are battling a large fire on a west London estate.

At least two people have been injured and flats at the 27-storey Grenfell Tower are being evacuated.

Footage on social media showed the building engulfed in fire, with flames stretching over a number of floors.

The fire brigade said the fire was from the 26th floor.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/0...27-story-tower-200-firefighters-on-scene.html
 
I just heard about it... very sad and prayers goes to these victims. :(
 
I didn't follow the news yesterday. I just found out about this morning. I was like, whoa. It looks like The Towering Inferno. Horrible! Is there any update what caused the fire?
 
Where are the rescue helicopters when we need them?

I think every residents who live in high rise apartments should own a emergency parachute or fireproof apron to escape from the building.
 
They now think that the new siding installed during the renovation of the building may of acted like a chimney and caused the fire to spread to all the floors.
 
authentic said:
Where are the rescue helicopters when we need them?

I think every residents who live in high rise apartments should own a emergency parachute or fireproof apron to escape from the building.
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Yeah, the idea would be nice. But residents must receive parachute training first. You just can't hand a parachute over to a resident who doesn't know one thing about using it unless a resident sues you. It's a liability.
 
authentic said:
Where are the rescue helicopters when we need them?

I think every residents who live in high rise apartments should own a emergency parachute or fireproof apron to escape from the building.
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Barbaro said:
Yeah, the idea would be nice. But residents must receive parachute training first. You just can't hand a parachute over to a resident who doesn't know one thing about using it unless a resident sues you. It's a liability.
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I am under the impression that they are something that the individual resident can buy and not necessarily depend on getting it from the landlord or condo association.

Depending on what floor you are on there are also ladders that fold up for storage and can be hung out a window as an escape route.
 
Jane B. said:
I am under the impression that they are something that the individual resident can buy and not necessarily depend on getting it from the landlord or condo association.

Depending on what floor you are on there are also ladders that fold up for storage and can be hung out a window as an escape route.
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Yes, there are 2 story or 14 foot ladders fold up for storage, but this is a high rise apartment building. I doubt the ladder would go far to the bottom unless you are willing to jump. There is a problem if the fire get in the stairwell, you can't access it. This is one of the reasons I won't live in high rise building. Obviously, the fire truck with ladder can reach 100 feet. Not enough to reach to the top of the London building. My former neighbor/ a retired fire fighter told me a while ago about his fire truck lesson.

According to sources, this high rise apartment building in London was built in 70s. It had been renovated. It appears they failed to install sprinklers. There have been rumors they didn't renovate a high quality building, so it could be a structural engineer's fault.
 
Jane B. said:
Depending on what floor you are on there are also ladders that fold up for storage and can be hung out a window as an escape route.
Click to expand...

From the 27th floor? Who are you kidding?

The people on the top floors had no chance.
 
Jane B. said:
I am under the impression that they are something that the individual resident can buy and not necessarily depend on getting it from the landlord or condo association.

Depending on what floor you are on there are also ladders that fold up for storage and can be hung out a window as an escape route.
Click to expand...

AlleyCat said:
From the 27th floor? Who are you kidding?

The people on the top floors had no chance.
Click to expand...

AlleyCat you are just one of the people that replied to what I wrote without it seems paying attention to the one I was replying to. Please note that my first sentence was referring to the parachutes mentioned in the one above mine.

I also made NO reverence to using a ladder from the 27th floor! What did you think I meant when I said "depending on what floor you are on"?
 
Barbaro said:
Yeah, the idea would be nice. But residents must receive parachute training first. You just can't hand a parachute over to a resident who doesn't know one thing about using it unless a resident sues you. It's a liability.
Click to expand...
Not only that but the other problem was the outside of the building was fully engulfed in flames. The residents would also have had to make it to the roof to be rescued by helicopters and that would of been a long shot with the flames I witnessed on the TV.
 
Jane B. said:
I am under the impression that they are something that the individual resident can buy and not necessarily depend on getting it from the landlord or condo association.

Depending on what floor you are on there are also ladders that fold up for storage and can be hung out a window as an escape route.
Click to expand...
Ladders are good as long as you are no higher that perhaps the second or third floor and the outside of the building can't be engulfed in flames as this building was.
 
My guess is the fire regulations and building codes in the UK will get a major overhaul and many buildings will be forced to retrofit.
 
seb said:
My guess is the fire regulations and building codes in the UK will get a major overhaul and many buildings will be forced to retrofit.
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My understanding is that this building was recently "retrofit."
No fire alarms to speak of, no sprinkler system, ad nauseam. :(
 
Jane B. said:
Depending on what floor you are on there are also ladders that fold up for storage and can be hung out a window as an escape route.
Click to expand...

AlleyCat said:
From the 27th floor? Who are you kidding?

The people on the top floors had no chance.
Click to expand...

Jane B. said:
AlleyCat you are just one of the people that replied to what I wrote without it seems paying attention to the one I was replying to. Please note that my first sentence was referring to the parachutes mentioned in the one above mine.

I also made NO reverence to using a ladder from the 27th floor! What did you think I meant when I said "depending on what floor you are on"?
Click to expand...



Jane, you're missing the point... Alleycat is right, the escape ladder you just described only go up to 2nd or 3rd floor. You failed to pay attention to what Alleycat is replying to.

See Barbaro's post when she quoted you..

Note the 2nd bold... it's reference.
 
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My reply to Jane was about the people she was referring to on the upper levels about using parachutes, and really, ladders that high up is not an alternative to parachutes.
 
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