LFB report into New Providence Wharf fire finds no offences committed under Fire Safety Order

Image from London Fire Brigade Twitter feed

Over 100 firefighters tackled a blaze for nearly three hours at a block of flats covered in ACM cladding at East London’s New Providence Wharf in Poplar on the morning of 7 May 2021.

The London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) preliminary report into the incident highlighted serious failures in the smoke ventilation system, while the external spread of the fire was facilitated by timber decking on balconies. It has since published its fire enforcement outcome, concluding that it wasn’t able to find any offences committed under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Inside Housing also reported a few days after the incident that the smoke detection system installed in the New Providence Wharf block failed when smoke began to spread throughout the building. This meant that doors, which are crucial to a fire compartmentation strategy, in the communal areas did not close, and smoke consequently filled the areas as residents attempted to escape.

20 fire engines were called to the scene, where at least three floors were alight at the 19-storey block at 10AM. Two people were taken to hospital as a result of the fire. Overall, 35 rescues were carried out, 22 of which involved the use of smoke hoods.

New Providence Wharf fire enforcement outcome – January 2023

The London Fire Brigade released its fire enforcement outcome into the incident on 23 January 2023, informing of the conclusion of its investigation.

Ultimately, it stated that the “extensive investigation found that there was insufficient evidence to pass the evidential test required to bring any prosecutions relating to the fire”, concluding that no offences had been committed under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The investigation focused on why the building’s fire alarm and Automatic Opening Vent (AOV) systems did not operate properly at the time, with residents unable to leave their flats during the fire.

The Building Safety Register responded to the outcome, stating it was “underwhelming”, citing poor evidence gathering at the time of the fire as a key factor.

In June 2022, the LFB released its performance review of the fire, remarking on the significant challenges faced by crews. This was said to be a result of the failure of the AOV, where smoke, fire and heat damage significantly impacted the eighth floor.

Preliminary report from London Fire Brigade (LFB)

A serious failure of a smoke ventilation system that resulted in the building acting like a “broken chimney”  left residents’ only escape route smoke logged during the New Providence Wharf fire, a preliminary report from the London Fire Brigade has said.

The report confirms that the fire started in a consumer unit, known more commonly as the fuse board, in an 8^th floor flat. Due to the severity of the fire more testing is needed to find out how exactly the consumer unit failed. The fire then travelled out of an open balcony window. At the same time smoke poured into the corridor through a flat door that had accidentally been kept open.

The Brigade’s provisional investigation into the fire has found that in this particular instance, ACM cladding panels did not significantly contribute to the external spread of the fire. The spread of the fire on the outside of the building from floors 8 to 11 is believed to have been facilitated by timber decking on the balconies.

Government advice issued in January 2020 states that: “Balconies should not assist fire spread along the external wall. Balconies including combustible materials may not meet an appropriate standard of safety and could pose a risk to the health and safety of residents and other building users.”

The London Fire Brigade highlighted that its response to the New Providence Wharf  fire demonstrated the significant changes the Brigade has made since the Grenfell Tower fire:

• Increased numbers of firefighters and appliances initially sent to high rise fires as standard
• Familiarisation visits conducted by crews prior to the fire
• The introduction of new evacuation procedures
• Improved communications between the control room and the incident ground
• Fire escape hoods

There were 35 rescues, 22 involving fire escape hoods, with two people taken to hospital.

The initial findings from Senior Brigade Fire Investigators showed that the smoke detectors on the eighth floor communal corridor failed to operate both the Automatic Opening Vent (AOV) and the cross-corridor fire doors.

In the report, the Brigade pointed out that it is the responsibility of the building owner or manager to make sure the AOV and other smoke ventilation systems operate correctly. It has since urged all those responsible for other high rise buildings to check these as a priority and ensure they are regularly inspected.

It also urged building managers and owners to check the materials used on external balconies and make modifications if deemed necessary.

The then-London Fire Brigade Deputy Commissioner Richard Mills said: “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.”

Further background and response

The development near Canary Wharf had not yet had its ACM cladding – similar material to that used on the Grenfell Tower and considered a serious flammable risk – removed according to East London Advertiser, three and a half years after the tragedy in West London that saw 72 people die. Since the event, both the management company, Ballymore, and London Fire Brigade have noted that the ACM panels did not significantly contribute to the spread of the fire in this instance.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that work was due to be started to remove the cladding on Monday (10th May). Residents, many of who have been responding to the news on social media, highlighted how they had been campaigning for the cladding to be removed since 2017. Several have voiced concerns over the perceived ineffectiveness a Waking Watch strategy played in the evacuation, with security guards or neighbours being cited as the primary response mechanism.

The fire was put out and brought under control by the London Fire Brigade by just after 11:30AM. Reports indicate the flat where the fire started has been destroyed, with the damage visible in the floors above as well.

The development is owned by new home and property development firm, Ballymore. Both the Government and Ballymore have blamed each other for the delays in the cladding remediation process. The cost of fixing the complex is said to be around £11.6million, of which the Government fund to fix buildings of more than 18m in height will cover £8million. The property development firm has said it will only cover an extra £500,000, leaving leaseholders and residents footing the remaining £3.1million.

Campaign group Grenfell United highlighted its concerns in a thread on social media, saying: “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.

“The Government needs to treat this as an emergency and stop stonewalling residents who are raising concerns. No more games, no more excuses. We’ve said all along that another tragedy is waiting to happen unless this crisis is dealt with properly and swiftly. Our thoughts are with those affected.”

This article was first published on 7 May 2021 – it has since been updated following further findings. 

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