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| Camberwell fire inquest nears verdict | Camberwell fire inquest nears verdict |
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| One of the most complex and drawn out inquests of recent years will conclude this week, bringing not just the hope of answers for the relatives of six people killed in Britain's worst ever tower block fire but also, it seems likely, urgent and potentially far-reaching recommendations to prevent similar events in the future. | One of the most complex and drawn out inquests of recent years will conclude this week, bringing not just the hope of answers for the relatives of six people killed in Britain's worst ever tower block fire but also, it seems likely, urgent and potentially far-reaching recommendations to prevent similar events in the future. |
| Three young children were among those who died when a fire swept through Lakanal House, a 1958-built block in Camberwell, south London, on 3 July 2009. While other residents fled the 14-storey building, the six remained sheltering inside their flats, some on the advice of 999 operators, where they were overcome by smoke and heat. | Three young children were among those who died when a fire swept through Lakanal House, a 1958-built block in Camberwell, south London, on 3 July 2009. While other residents fled the 14-storey building, the six remained sheltering inside their flats, some on the advice of 999 operators, where they were overcome by smoke and heat. |
| After a three-and-a-half year delay, bitterly condemned by relatives and caused in part by police investigations into possible corporate manslaughter charges, the inquest began in January with testimony about those who died: Dayana Francisquini, 26, her children, Felipe, three, and Thais, six; Helen Udoaka and her baby daughter, Michelle, aged 20 days; and Catherine Hickman, a 31-year-old fashion designer. | After a three-and-a-half year delay, bitterly condemned by relatives and caused in part by police investigations into possible corporate manslaughter charges, the inquest began in January with testimony about those who died: Dayana Francisquini, 26, her children, Felipe, three, and Thais, six; Helen Udoaka and her baby daughter, Michelle, aged 20 days; and Catherine Hickman, a 31-year-old fashion designer. |
| Led by a judge, Frances Kirkham, rather than a coroner, the inquest heard 10 weeks of at times troubling evidence. A key issue was whether those killed could have survived if they had been urged to flee rather than shelter. The advice to stay put is based on the theory that fires remain contained within individual flats. However, the Lakanal blaze moved unusually quickly and in unexpected ways. | Led by a judge, Frances Kirkham, rather than a coroner, the inquest heard 10 weeks of at times troubling evidence. A key issue was whether those killed could have survived if they had been urged to flee rather than shelter. The advice to stay put is based on the theory that fires remain contained within individual flats. However, the Lakanal blaze moved unusually quickly and in unexpected ways. |
| Within half an hour of the first 999 call, from the occupant of the ninth-storey flat where the blaze began, the fire had spread to several other floors, moving downwards as well as up, something so unusual that transcripts show emergency operators initially refused to believe it was happening. | Within half an hour of the first 999 call, from the occupant of the ninth-storey flat where the blaze began, the fire had spread to several other floors, moving downwards as well as up, something so unusual that transcripts show emergency operators initially refused to believe it was happening. |
| Fire experts told the jury it was partly caused by renovations to the block in the 1980s, during which vital fire-stopping sections between flats and corridors were removed. Later work to replace windows in the block in 2006 and 2007 used PVC-based panels with minimal fire resistance, something the experts said greatly helped the blaze to spread. Southwark council, which owns the block, did not seek building control for this work as was required, the inquest learned. | Fire experts told the jury it was partly caused by renovations to the block in the 1980s, during which vital fire-stopping sections between flats and corridors were removed. Later work to replace windows in the block in 2006 and 2007 used PVC-based panels with minimal fire resistance, something the experts said greatly helped the blaze to spread. Southwark council, which owns the block, did not seek building control for this work as was required, the inquest learned. |
| The jury heard that a change in the law in 2006 meant Southwark was responsible for fire safety checks at its flats, but by July 2009 the council had carried out no such checks at Lakanal or any other residential blocks. It had, however, managed to carry out the checks at buildings where its own staff worked. | The jury heard that a change in the law in 2006 meant Southwark was responsible for fire safety checks at its flats, but by July 2009 the council had carried out no such checks at Lakanal or any other residential blocks. It had, however, managed to carry out the checks at buildings where its own staff worked. |
| There was also some evidence of chaos in the firefighting operation, with six changes of incident commander, one of whom was in charge for three minutes. | There was also some evidence of chaos in the firefighting operation, with six changes of incident commander, one of whom was in charge for three minutes. |
| One fire watch manager, John Howling, was asked why he did not send out search teams after certain flat numbers were mentioned to him repeatedly. Among them was Hickman's flat 71, directly above the source of the fire. During a long and increasingly panicked phone call with an emergency operator, Hickman yelled that flames were at the door and that something had fallen on her from the ceiling, before eventually falling silent. Howling said: "It was an enormous amount of information I was trying to absorb and process." | One fire watch manager, John Howling, was asked why he did not send out search teams after certain flat numbers were mentioned to him repeatedly. Among them was Hickman's flat 71, directly above the source of the fire. During a long and increasingly panicked phone call with an emergency operator, Hickman yelled that flames were at the door and that something had fallen on her from the ceiling, before eventually falling silent. Howling said: "It was an enormous amount of information I was trying to absorb and process." |
| Kirkham has instructed the jury, who began their deliberations late last week, to record a narrative verdict, guiding them to look into issues such as confusion among fire teams and the renovations to the block. It appears likely she will then make her own recommendations about fire safety in high-rise blocks, which could have significant repercussions for social landlords. | Kirkham has instructed the jury, who began their deliberations late last week, to record a narrative verdict, guiding them to look into issues such as confusion among fire teams and the renovations to the block. It appears likely she will then make her own recommendations about fire safety in high-rise blocks, which could have significant repercussions for social landlords. |
| Finally, the verdict will bring some element of a halt to almost four years of agony for those who lost loved ones, a typically mixed south London group comprising people with origins in Brazil, Nigeria and Hampshire. Rafael Cervi, Francisquini's husband, told the jury he had lost "everything that I built, everything that I dream of" with the death of his wife and the two children. | Finally, the verdict will bring some element of a halt to almost four years of agony for those who lost loved ones, a typically mixed south London group comprising people with origins in Brazil, Nigeria and Hampshire. Rafael Cervi, Francisquini's husband, told the jury he had lost "everything that I built, everything that I dream of" with the death of his wife and the two children. |
| The inquest heard how the horror was spread widely: one firefighter, Christopher Rose, broke down as he described finding the tiny body of Michelle Udoaka in a smoke-filled bathroom and how he had been forced to take seven months off work with post-traumatic stress. | The inquest heard how the horror was spread widely: one firefighter, Christopher Rose, broke down as he described finding the tiny body of Michelle Udoaka in a smoke-filled bathroom and how he had been forced to take seven months off work with post-traumatic stress. |
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