Barnet Homes is shocked and saddened by the devastating fire which occurred at Grenfell Tower in West London in the early hours of last Wednesday morning which has tragically resulted in a number of deaths.
Barnet Homes’ thoughts are very much with those affected by this event.
Early reports have confirmed that the block underwent significant refurbishment recently including the installation of an external cladding system. Until further details on the incident are known it is not possible to fully understand if these works contributed to the rapid spread of fire.
Barnet Homes manages a number of blocks which have external cladding systems. Although Barnet Homes has a robust approach to managing fire risk, in light of the events of Wednesday 14th June Barnet Homes will be undertaking further reviews of these systems.
Although the cause of the fire at Grenfell Tower has not yet been established, Barnet Homes has commissioned an urgent review of cladded housing blocks of five storeys or more within the borough. There are ten blocks in total, which includes three blocks situated in the Granville Road development, NW2. These three blocks were inspected on Monday 19th June.
These blocks were inspected first, as they are the only blocks in our housing stock that have undergone major refurbishment in recent years, including the installation of a cladding system in 2012.
The cladding system at Granville Road is different to what media reports suggest was used at Grenfell Tower. While it contains similar rain screen panels to those reportedly used at Grenfell Tower, crucially the insulation materials are different and are made from a non-combustible mineral fibre material. In addition, fire stops have been installed at each floor level and around each window. The fire stops are also made of a non-combustible material. In line with the Government’s advice to councils, physical samples from the investigation will be submitted to the Department for Communities and Local Government’s testing facility.
The remaining seven cladded blocks have different cladding systems. As a precautionary measure we are also inspecting these and completed the assessments on Tuesday, 20th June. Updated Fire Risk Assessments of these blocks have been completed and no issues identified.
We will be writing a letter of reassurance to all residents living in the ten blocks with cladding on Wednesday, 21st June. We will keep them updated with updates on specific actions taken, once the results of the inspections are fed back to us.
All blocks with communal areas are subject to regular fire safety inspections. Barnet Homes has stringent measures in place to ensure the safety of residents living in our properties.
Advice from London Fire Brigade for people who live in high rise properties or purpose built flats and maisonettes, aside from having a working smoke alarm and taking fire safety precautions, is to make sure you know your escape plan and what to do if there is a fire inside your home or somewhere else in the building.
Further information is available on the LFB website here specifically for people who live in purpose built flats and maisonettes http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan.asp