Britain to test schools and hospitals after 75 out of 75 high-rise buildings fail fir

[Peter1469]

Britain to test schools and hospitals after 75 out of 75 high-rise buildings fail fire safety tests

Looks like England isn't so much into fire safety standards.

Britain on Monday confronted a rapidly growing *fire-safety crisis after tests of the exterior cladding on dozens of public-housing towers revealed a 100 percent failure rate, raising fears that this month’s deadly inferno in London could be replicated elsewhere.

Out of 75 high-rise buildings tested since last week, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid told Parliament late Monday afternoon, not one passed. That’s up from 60 failures out of 60 on Sunday — with hundreds more towers yet to be examined.


Javid said the government will immediately expand testing to *include schools, hospitals and private residential buildings — suggesting that the scope of the problem could be far beyond what was suspected even days ago.


The revelations came less than two weeks after London’s 24-story Grenfell Tower was transformed overnight from a home for hundreds into a charred ruin — and a death trap for at least 79 people.


At the time, officials described it as a horrific anomaly — an “unprecedented” blaze, in the words of the city’s fire commissioner, the likes of which had not been seen in modern Britain.

Read the rest at the link.

[waltky]

Another high-rise tower goes up in flames in London...

Weeks after Grenfell disaster, massive fire breaks out at new block of flats in East London
Monday 3rd July, 2017. - Weeks after the Grenfell tower fire, a large blaze broke out at a brand new block of flats in East London on Sunday, sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the air.

Over 80 firefighters were seen battling the inferno even as a large crowd gathered to watch the five-floor building blazing in the day. Half of the roof of the new block of 1 million pounds flats was said to have burned away or collapsed and it appeared that the solar panels of the building had caught fire. The fire broke out at the five-floor Bow Wharf building near Bethnal Green in East London that has been branded as the trendy 'residential waterside development' - which is still under construction.

The development, that contains five houses and 19 apartments, was surrounded with a crane and a hose and the London Fire Brigade confirmed that firefighters were dealing with the blaze. Officials said that Grove Road was subsequently sealed off and fire crews evacuated a nearby play area. A spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said, “We have got a 12 pump fire brigade in progress in the Roman Road area of Bethnal Green.”

The statement added, “The fourth floor and roof of the five storey residential block are alight. The Brigade was called at 1110. Crews from Bethnal Green, Homerton, Shadwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Poplar, Millwall and other surrounding fire stations are at the scene. The cause of the fire is not known at this stage." Terrified locals from neighboring buildings watched in horror as the incident on Sunday came merely days after another flat blaze in the same area which saw dozens of firefighters tackling an inferno as flames shot out from the building's windows.

London's fire services have been on a heightened state of alert after the Grenfell Tower disaster that left dozens dead and hundreds more homeless. Witnesses even posted dramatic images of the fire on social media showing thick smoke billowing over Victoria Park. Later in the day, the London Fire Brigade claimed that at least 75 percent of the roof of one of the developments blocks of the luxury flats had been destroyed by the flames. The cause of the fire remains unknown and authorities have launched an investigation.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2...in-east-london

[Dangermouse]

New schools and hospitals heve been built under the PFI (Private Finance Initiative) where a building company funds and builds a school or hospital, then rents it and the support services back to the public sector on an indefinite lease. Corners have been cut. Schools in Edinburgh had walls collapse!

[DGUtley]

Around here, the building inspectors have reputations for being tough SOB's. With good reason....

[ripmeister]

Around here, the building inspectors have reputations for being tough SOB's. With good reason....

Would this be an example of good regulation? I for one am glad we have people checking our drinking water, what industry is spewing into our atmosphere and whether or not builders are cutting corners at the expense of safety.

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says dey prob'ly set the fire to collect insurance money...

Amnesty for undocumented immigrants subletting London's Grenfell Tower after fire
July 5, 2017 -- Undocumented immigrants who may have escaped the June 14 fire in London's Grenfell Tower have been granted a one-year amnesty, the British government announced Wednesday.

Officials speculate that some immigrants may have been illegally subletting in the 24-story tower and are hesitant to cooperate with authorities investigating the fire, which led to at least 80 deaths, Sky News reported Sunday. Those subletting the apartments will not face prosecution or deportation, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said. Javid, a cabinet minister, said that "supporting those affected by the tragic events at Grenfell Tower has been the absolute priority of the government. That includes making sure that loved ones still missing are identified. Therefore, I would urge those with information to come forward without fear of prosecution."

Citing suggestions that undocumented immigrants may have sublet apartments in London's Grenfell Tower, the British government announced a one-year amnesty Wednesday to encourage residents to give information about the fire and possible missing victims. At least 80 residents of the tower died in the June 14 fire.

The Evening Standard reported Wednesday that Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis informed the British Parliament that the government would not conduct immigration checks on witnesses coming forward with information regarding the fire. "We recognize some foreign nationals directly affected by the fire may not wish to engage with the authorities due to concerns about their unresolved immigration status, or if their status is about to expire," Lewis told members of Parliament. "I am therefore announcing today that those individuals directly affected by the Grenfell Tower fire who contact the Home Office via a specified process will be given a period of limited leave to remain in the U.K. with full access to relevant support and assistance."

An investigation into the cause of the fire centers on the building's decorative exterior cladding, made of single plastic sheets compressed within two aluminum sheets. Similar cladding found on 181 high-rise buildings across Britain have all failed fire safety tests since the Grenfell tower fire.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...&utm_medium=20

[katzgar]

Uncle Ferd says dey prob'ly set the fire to collect insurance money...

Amnesty for undocumented immigrants subletting London's Grenfell Tower after fire
July 5, 2017 -- Undocumented immigrants who may have escaped the June 14 fire in London's Grenfell Tower have been granted a one-year amnesty, the British government announced Wednesday.

I say a sprinkler system salesman did it

[Peter1469]

I say a sprinkler system salesman did it

That would be incorrect.