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Five London tower blocks to be evacuated over safety fears after Grenfell fire Five London tower blocks to be evacuated over safety fears after Grenfell fire
(35 minutes later)
An entire estate in north London is being evacuated after a fire inspection in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster found the tower blocks to be unsafe. Temporary accommodation is being sought for about 800 households from the five high-rise buildings on the Chalcot estate. Work to make the blocks safe is expected to take three to four weeks, the leader of Camden council, Labour’s Georgia Gould, said on Friday. An entire estate in north London is being evacuated after a fire inspection in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster found the tower blocks to be unsafe.
Those affected are being placed in temporary accommodation, including in hotels, Gould said: “At the moment, all we care about is getting people to safety. The cost we can deal with later.” Temporary accommodation is being sought for about 800 households from the five high rises on the Chalcot estate in Camden.
The council initially announced that only one tower, Taplow, which contains 161 households, was to be evacuated. But, within the hour, Gould said the decision was taken to evacuate the whole estate. The buildings were being emptied on Friday evening after firefighters said they “could not guarantee our residents’ safety”, the leader of Camden council, Labour’s Georgia Gould, said.
She added that residents had shared fire safety concerns that she had not previously been aware of and, after the inspection that was ordered following the Grenfell disaster, fire safety experts had informed her that they could not guarantee the residents’ safety. Those affected were being placed in temporary accommodation, including in hotels, Gould said: “At the moment, all we care about is getting people to safety. The cost we can deal with later.”
Work to make the blocks safe is expected to take three to four weeks, Gould said.
The council initially announced that only one tower, Taplow, which contains 161 households, was to be “temporarily decanted”. But, within the hour, Gould said the decision was taken to evacuate the whole estate. Gould told Sky: “We think at the moment it’s about 800 (households) but it’s an emerging picture.”
The rest centre is at Swiss Cottage library, she said, adding: “People are on the ground now talking to residents, working with them to move them to the rest centre. It is happening immediately.”
The council had already announced that it would immediately begin preparing to remove cladding from five towers on the estate discovered in an inspection that was ordered following the Grenfell disaster in north Kensington which killed at least 79 people.
But Gould said that residents had since shared fire safety concerns that she had not previously been aware of and fire safety experts who inspected the estate on Friday had informed her that they could not guarantee the residents’ safety.
Gould said: “We realise that this is hugely distressing for everyone affected and we will be doing all we can, alongside the London fire brigade and other authorities, to support our residents at this difficult time. The Grenfell fire changes everything – we need to do everything we can to keep residents safe.”Gould said: “We realise that this is hugely distressing for everyone affected and we will be doing all we can, alongside the London fire brigade and other authorities, to support our residents at this difficult time. The Grenfell fire changes everything – we need to do everything we can to keep residents safe.”
The council’s safety inspection found that, while the cladding and insulation were different from that used on Grenfell Tower, where at least 79 people are believed to have died, the former “did not satisfy our independent laboratory testing or the high standards we set for contractors”.The council’s safety inspection found that, while the cladding and insulation were different from that used on Grenfell Tower, where at least 79 people are believed to have died, the former “did not satisfy our independent laboratory testing or the high standards we set for contractors”.
Prior to the decision to evacuate people, the council said it would start removing the cladding panels from the Chalcots Estate.Prior to the decision to evacuate people, the council said it would start removing the cladding panels from the Chalcots Estate.
Gould said that those people affected by the evacuation should go to Swiss Cottage library for more information and asked anyone who was able to stay with friends or relatives to do so. “People are on the ground now talking to residents, working with them to move them to the rest centre. It is happening immediately.” She was unable to say exactly how many people were being removed from their homes.Gould said that those people affected by the evacuation should go to Swiss Cottage library for more information and asked anyone who was able to stay with friends or relatives to do so. “People are on the ground now talking to residents, working with them to move them to the rest centre. It is happening immediately.” She was unable to say exactly how many people were being removed from their homes.
Michelle Urquhart, a resident of the estate’s Bray tower, told the Press Association: “It’s a bit frightening. They are talking about evacuating all five blocks. At the moment they haven’t done it and they are saying they will knock on everyone’s doors when they are ready.Michelle Urquhart, a resident of the estate’s Bray tower, told the Press Association: “It’s a bit frightening. They are talking about evacuating all five blocks. At the moment they haven’t done it and they are saying they will knock on everyone’s doors when they are ready.
“I don’t know where we are going to go. One man in a suit said to me, ‘You can’t stay here tonight.’ I’m so angry because we had the meeting with the council last night and they tried to reassure us. We have been living in these flats for the last 10 years with this cladding.”“I don’t know where we are going to go. One man in a suit said to me, ‘You can’t stay here tonight.’ I’m so angry because we had the meeting with the council last night and they tried to reassure us. We have been living in these flats for the last 10 years with this cladding.”
The evacuation comes as four more victims of Grenfell Tower were formally identified, taking the known victims of the fire to nine. Scotland Yard also revealed that detectives investigating the blaze were considering bringing manslaughter charges.The evacuation comes as four more victims of Grenfell Tower were formally identified, taking the known victims of the fire to nine. Scotland Yard also revealed that detectives investigating the blaze were considering bringing manslaughter charges.