terrible news

[eboswan]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

[Timmytree]

I watched this about 4 am this morning. I'm surprised the death toll wasn't a lot higher considering the ferocity of the blaze.
After a huge revamp, this block goes up like a roman candle, I wonder why?
An awful experience for those involved.

[Sake-san]

Terrible indeed, one may only hope that lessons are learned...
A beautiful old stone house in the heart of our nearest village was completely raised in less than 2 hours earlier this year. A leaking gas fitting, a scented candle left burning (courtesy of the cleaning lady, who no doubt meant well), a window left ajar (same cleaning lady) and assorted linseed oil impregnated cleaning cloths under the sink next to said gas fitting....
All that remains are the stone walls and the charred rubble between them.
The fire brigade arrived <10 mins after the call but, by then the numerous soft furnishings and old wooden floors had already created an inferno.
Thankfully no one was injured,

[Blackbaronfish]

Sad affair really. The cladding was used in other buildings overseas and they had the same thing happen. The cladding has now been banned.
After all is said and done it no doubt all come down to money.
One thing that I think is wrong, and that is the instructions to sit tight and wait for emergency response. I would evacuate asap.
I wish those caught up in it a speedy recovery.

BBF

[neil]

if it wasn`t for the cladding the advice to sit tight would have been correct, no way could they have known how flammable the stuff was and how fast the fire would spread in through the windows, shit going to hit the fan a bit over this one (years ago the company I worked for made a fire escape for a nursing home conversion, would not let them open until the escape was finished, fire brigade turned up to inspect it and advise the staff on procedures if fire broke out, they were told then NOT to use the fire escape, just close all doors and wait for them but big difference between 3 storey house and 20 odd storey tower block)

[zingpow]

i had to turn off the radio this morning because the story sickened me...my opinion is that some landlord hired a "management team" to "manage" the place so he could just pick up the check at the end of each month and not worry about the tawdry details of how or IF it was being kept up to standards...my heart aches for all those families...zp...

[TenMetrePeter]

I watched 24 hr news from 5 am to midnight.
Cladding seems to be the 2 aluminium sheets with a polyethylene core. Same ruddy stuff used on self igniting bbq charcoal.
Local architect says it was done to increase the value of a new project to demolish nearby social housing and build posh apartments. Social cleansing and the poor sods will probably end up here in Luton. People may have died so investors clients didnt have to look at a grey concrete tower.
My opinion of multiracial council estate tenants went up tenfold after I saw how they pulled together yesterday (I was council tenant myself in the 50s)
Just starting to be ashamed to have voted tory. Maybe next time I won't.

[Mason]

I fear that the death toll will rise into the hundreds. Truly terrifying..a catastrophic failure in every way.

[TenMetrePeter]

120 apartments. "400 to 600 residents" Don't they know?

[eboswan]

I think they may never find some off them, the fire was pretty intense.