Gas Set to Figure in London Blaze Enquiry
Dozens of people are still missing, with 17 confirmed dead and 17 badly injured after fire swept through a 24-storey West London tower block with 120 flats at about 1am local time early June 14.
An investigation of the Grenfell Tower blaze is ongoing. London Fire Brigade (LFB) says as yet that the cause for the fire’s rapid spread is unclear.
Factors such as the lack of any sprinkler system, external plastic-filled cladding that had been added in a recent renovation, and gaps between that and the block’s concrete structure which may have spread the flames have been primarily identified by fire safety experts.
Gas distribution pipes also look likely to figure in the full public enquiry announced June 15 by the prime minister Theresa May. It will be led by a judge.
Local councillor Judith Blakeman in March 2017 expressed residents’ fears about the installation by National Grid (now distributor Cadent) of gas pipes in the main stairwells, The Guardian newspaper reported; the landlord assured her they would be boxed in with “fire-rated” protection but Blakeman said this was not done.
In the UK, gas riser pipes are permitted in lower floors of high-rise flats, including in protected stairwells, but must be covered in fire-retardant material.
Cadent said: “For safety reasons we have not been able to get into Grenfell Tower so we cannot confirm at this stage whether or not a gas pipe inside the building may have fractured. Given the severity of the fire, it would not be unexpected for internal gas pipes to have been damaged by the fire.”
LFB said June 15: “Overnight firefighters worked with the gas authority to isolate a ruptured gas main in the block and once this work was completed they were able to extinguish the fire.”
Cadent added: “There were no exposed pipes in the stairwells although work was still underway to box in the pipes running along each of the floors. The pipe running through the stairwell had been completely boxed in using a fire-proof material designed to withstand fire for two hours. The riser in this building was made of steel which would make it very difficult to damage.”
Cadent said it replaced two gas risers with one brand new one in January 2017 at Grenfell Tower: “We have been in discussions with the Tenants Management Organisation about replacing the remaining five gas risers as part of our riser replacement programme.”
It said the last time it was called out to attend Grenfell Tower was in April: "We attended two calls - one was a report of ‘no gas’ and the other was found to be a gas leak on the customer’s internal gas pipework, not Cadent’s pipes; both issues were resolved."
LFB said June 15: "Police have confirmed there have been 17 fatalities and say they expect that figure to rise further. In addition, fire crews rescued 65 people from the building. London Ambulance Service have confirmed 37 people have been admitted to hospital with 17 remaining in critical care."
Update as of June 19:
Seventy-nine people are either dead or missing presumed dead after the June 14 Grenfell Tower fire, London police have said. That figure may increase, warned Police Commander Stuart Cundy, adding that not all bodies would be identifiable. Eighteen remain in hospital, of whom nine in critical care.
Mark Smedley