Calls for cladding investigation after ‘terrified’ residents flee London tower block fire

The London Fire Brigade said the building had ‘known’ safety issues, and work was ongoing to remove ‘non-compliant cladding’

An investigation has been demanded into the role of flammable cladding in a “terrifying” fire at a London tower block, seven years after safety concerns were raised by the Grenfell disaster.

Residents described fleeing the burning building, in the Freshwater Road area of Dagenham, in the early hours of Monday.

Some said they were coughing up black soot after inhaling smoke and had lost their belongings in the blaze.

More than 80 people were evacuated and two were taken to hospital. All residents have been accounted for and an investigation into the fire has been launched, the London Fire Brigade said.

Brigade commissioner Andy Roe said there were “fire safety issues present within the building”.

The block, which was covered in scaffolding, was undergoing “remedial” work to remove and replace “non-compliant cladding” on the fifth and sixth floors, according to a planning application document. The role of cladding in the fire will form part of the fire service’s investigation.

Firefighters at the scene after a blaze at a block of flats on Freshwater Road, Dagenham, east London (PA)

The incident comes just a week before the publication of the final report of the inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which saw the deaths of 72 people after a fridge fire spread rapidly due to flammable cladding on the exterior walls.

Local Labour MP Margaret Mullane said Monday’s fire had resulted in minimal injuries thanks to the swift response of the emergency services.

She added: “There needs to be a full investigation into the cause of this fire, and why, seven years on from Grenfell, unsafe cladding was still in the process of being removed.

“However, my initial actions will be to help the victims of this terrible tragedy, all in absolute shock, as they are moved into temporary accommodation and begin the process of rebuilding their lives.”

Residents were despairing about losing their belongings to the fire (PA)

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), praised firefighters for their response and added: “Once again, a fire has erupted in a residential building wrapped in flammable cladding. There needs to be an urgent and swift investigation of how this has been allowed to happen.

“Hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in buildings like it, with various failings in fire safety. This is a national scandal.

“For decades, the FBU has warned of the risks of deregulation in the building sector. Politicians have put the interests of big business above human life. As we saw at Grenfell Tower, this can have horrific and tragic consequences.

“We have highlighted significant building safety failings before and since the Grenfell Tower fire. It was already known that the Dagenham tower block was dangerous. Time and time again, these warnings have been ignored by public authorities and by central government. This must change immediately.”

Smoke was still pouring from the building on Monday morning (Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Grenfell United, which is made up of survivors and bereaved families from the west London tower fire, said: “We wake up to the graphic images of the Dagenham fire, an incident that happened in the middle of the night over a bank holiday weekend when many residents would have been at home – a scenario we have warned about for seven years.

“Although we do not have all the details, it seems work was underway to remove non-compliant cladding, and the building had a number of fire safety issues.

“This highlights the painfully slow progress of remediation across the country, and a lack of urgency for building safety as a whole, including the implementation of personal evacuation plans for disabled residents which needs urgently addressing.

“We are a week away from the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report. The fact that when a fire happens, and the best we can hope for at the moment is ‘a near miss’, speaks volumes of the progress made since 14 June 2017.

“We expect the Labour government to take action to speed up remediation on unsafe buildings, where their predecessors failed.”

Around 225 firefighters responded to the blaze in east London (PA)

Sam Ogbeide, who lives on the fourth floor of the Dagenham tower said he opened his main door and saw smoke coming in from the window. He said the fire was “very terrible”, adding that it was busy in the building’s stairwell as people evacuated.

Some residents “didn’t bring anything” when evacuating, with some still “naked”. Mr Ogbeide said: “I’ve never experienced something like this in my life. Everything is gone. I don’t know what to do.”

He added: “I’m not feeling OK. All my mouth is bitter because I feel the smoke in me. When I cough, you see the black.”

He said he did not see any water sprinklers in the building, Spectrum House, but did hear a fire alarm.

An investigation will now take place into how the building caught fire (Getty Images)

Irina Vasile, 46, a healthcare assistant who lives on the second floor, said the incident felt like a “nightmare” and said she was “frightened to be on the street starting from zero”. She said she was woken by her partner at around 3am telling her there was smoke.

Speaking outside the Beacontree Health Leisure Centre where the residents have been relocated, Ms Vasile said: “[There was] such a dense smoke all over the apartment. When we wanted to open the window, another smoke hit our face, on the throat and the eyes.”

Ms Vasile said she was spotted by firefighters after shouting for help and calling 999.

She said: “We didn’t grab nothing – we lost everything. The firemen bring us outside, and while I came outside, I’ve seen a big fire come from the building on the ground floor, and when we went further, I’ve seen another big fire on the top.”

The resident said she did not hear a fire alarm go off during the evacuation, adding: “My partner is devastated as well. We try to encourage one another because we lost everything.”

Firefighters use a water hose to put out the flames (Getty Images)

The blaze is now under control, and what was declared a major incident has been stood down, but the fire service said it was too early to tell what started it.

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Patrick Goulbourne said: “What I wouldn’t want to do is pre-empt an investigation.

“This was a very, very dynamic incident and clearly it’s going to require a very complex investigation, not only to get to its cause but to get to an understanding of the fire spread. So it’s too early at this time to be able to give any detail on that, but that will form part of our investigation in the coming days.”

Just hours after an investigation was launched a second fire broke out in Blackwall, east London. Dramatic footage from New Providence Wharf showed thick smoke billowing from the 25th floor of the 45-storey building.

Up to 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze after the London Fire Brigade was called at around 1.30pm. There were no injuries.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper thanked the firefighters and other emergency workers for their “bravery and swift response”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said a rest centre had been set up in the area to help residents.

David Simmonds MP, shadow minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “Our thoughts are with those affected by the fire in Dagenham, and we thank the emergency services for their tireless work which has successfully brought the fire under control.”

A government spokesperson said: “We must establish the facts surrounding this horrific incident. That is why we are urgently working with the London Fire Brigade and local council to understand exactly what happened and ask if more needs to be done to keep people safe in their homes.”