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Cause of tower block fire probed Fatal fire block's layout probed
(about 1 hour later)
Forensic experts and fire officials are investigating the speed at which a fire spread through a south London tower block killing six people. The design of a tower block in which a fire spread and killed six people is to be examined as it raises "big safety questions", London's mayor has said.
London Mayor Boris Johnson will meet fire crews who fought the blaze at Lakanal House in Camberwell. Boris Johnson, who will visit the scene later, described the fatal fire at Lakanal House, Camberwell, south London, as "very disturbing".
Three women and three children died in Friday's fire, which is thought to have started in a flat on the ninth floor.
A London Assembly member has demanded a public inquiry into the blaze.
Helen Udoaka, 34, and her three-week-old daughter Michelle died in the fire in the 12-storey block.
Dayana Francisquini, 26, her three-year-old son Filipe, her daughter, who has been named in media reports as six-year-old Thais, and Catherine Hickman, 31, also lost their lives.
Forensic experts and fire officials have been investigating the speed at which the fire spread through the building.
Several residents have described the layout of the block, which only had one central staircase, as "a maze".Several residents have described the layout of the block, which only had one central staircase, as "a maze".
Three women and three children died in the fire, believed to have spread from a flat on the ninth floor on Friday.
Helen Udoaka, 34, her three-week-old daughter Michelle, Dayana Francisquini, 26, her three-year-old son Filipe Francisquini, her daughter, who has been named in media reports as six-year-old Thais, and Catherine Hickman, 31, lost their lives in the blaze in the 12-storey building.
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The mayor is due to visit the scene later on Monday. Boris Johnson has visited Peckham fire station to meet some of the 100 firefighters who tackled the blaze.
London Assembly member Jenny Jones has called for a public inquiry into the fire to ascertain whether 1960s tower blocks were "genuinely safe". Mr Johnson said the officers had done a "very, very good job in very, very hard circumstances" and said the death toll could have been higher.
Twelve people received treatment in hospital following the fire. "We will be looking at safety and why there were six casualties.
The single staircase is being investigated after questions were raised over whether there were adequate escape routes and fire prevention measures. "The issue of building design is uppermost in people's minds.
Building 'not untypical' "People don't understand what the safety routes are and that is something we need to get across.
Ms Jones, who chairs London Assembly's planning and housing committee, said: "There's one very close to it (Lakanal House) that's absolutely identical, and obviously those people are going to be worried for themselves as well. "I hope very much that we are able to learn some lessons from it and to see what we can do to make these kind of flats safer."
A new building code for London would also be produced which would make sure "we have buildings that are safe from a criminal point of view and from a fire point of view too", he said.
'Not untypical'
London Assembly member Jenny Jones called for a public inquiry into the fire to ascertain whether 1960s tower blocks were "genuinely safe".
Three-week-old Michelle Udoaka was the youngest victim of the fireThree-week-old Michelle Udoaka was the youngest victim of the fire
"I think the first thing we have to have is a public inquiry, because we've got to know, not only for this block, but for all the other thousands of blocks in the rest of Britain, whether or not they are genuinely safe". Ms Jones, who chairs London Assembly's planning and housing committee, said: "I think the first thing we have to have is a public inquiry, because we've got to know, not only for this block, but for all the other thousands of blocks in the rest of Britain, whether or not they are genuinely safe."
She said there was a need for a register listing all these tower blocks, which should be updated with refurbishments as and when they were carried out. She also stressed on the need for a register listing similar tower blocks, which should be updated with refurbishments they undergo.
The London Fire Brigade said a "unique situation" caused "one of the most significant fires in some time in terms of lives lost". London Fire Brigade Commissioner Ron Dobson said: "We are never going to stop them completely but we need to design buildings that, when fire does occur, protect the people in those buildings and enable them to escape safely."
About 100 firefighters tackled the blaze which began on Friday afternoon. Officers said it could be "some weeks" until the cause was known. Following the fire the leader of Southwark Council, Nick Stanton, said the design of the building was "not untypical" and that £3.5m had recently been spent on refurbishing it to meet current fire safety standards.
Earlier the leader of Southwark Council, Councillor Nick Stanton, said the design of the building was "not untypical and met all the fire safety requirements laid down at the time of its construction".
He said the council had spent £3.5m refurbishing the building and meeting current safety fire requirements.