London tower fire: ‘Serious’ failure left only escape route clogged with smoke, report finds

Residents were forced to escape through a smoke-logged route after a fire broke out in an east London block of flats because of a “serious” failure of the smoke ventilation system, a report has found.

The 19-storey building acted like a “broken chimney” leading to a “potentially life-threatening situation”, the London Fire Brigade (LBF) said.

More than 100 firefighters and 20 fire engines were called to tackle the blaze engulfing parts of the New Providence Wharf development in Poplar on 7 May.

Two men were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, while the London Ambulance Service treated 38 adults and four children at the scene for shock and respiratory issues.

In a report released on Tuesday, the LFB said the fire started in the fuse board of an eighth-floor flat before spreading out of an open balcony window up to the 11th floor.

The building acted like a “broken chimney” after the smoke detectors failed to operate its automatic opening vent (AOV) and fire doors, the report said.

Around 20 per cent of the building’s facade features aluminium composite material polyethylene (ACM PE) cladding panels – which were found to be a key factor in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

In the aftermath of the New Providence Wharf fire last month, survivors’ and relatives’ group Grenfell United said in a statement: “We are horrified by the news of the fire at the New Providence Wharf today. When will the government take this scandal seriously? Enough is enough.

“The government promised to remove dangerous cladding by June 2020 – it has completely failed its own target and every day that goes by lives are at risk. Today more people have lost their homes in another terrifying fire.

But the report said the ACM PE cladding "did not significantly contribute to the external spread of the fire”.

London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Richard Mills said the incident should act as an “urgent wake-up call” to those responsible for safety in high-rise buildings.

He said: "The smoke ventilation system inside New Providence Wharf acted like a broken chimney leading to a potentially life-threatening situation. Had it not been for the exceptional actions of our firefighters and 999 control officers this could have had tragic consequences.

"Despite our response to this fire and drawing on the many lessons learned from the Grenfell Tower fire, in many cases we are sadly still not seeing a culture change in all those responsible for fire safety in high-rise buildings.

"The New Providence Wharf fire needs to be an urgent wake-up call to all building owners and managers. Look at the fire safety solutions inside your building and take action if they are not performing correctly. It is too late to wait for a fire to see if they work."