Council officials have denied that delayed fire safety upgrades to council housing in Basildon would have avoided a fire in the properties last Monday.
At least four houses were damaged, and two people treated for smoke inhalation following a blaze on the Felmores estate on Monday, just three years after eight houses were destroyed on the same estate.
Six appliances including an aerial ladder platform were needed to control the latest fire which is suspected to have been caused deliberately.
Recommendations from the fire service following the 2009 blaze included treating the wooden cladding of the terraced houses with a fire resistant coating. This work was due to happen in 2011, but was scrapped in favour of replacing the wooden cladding with more fire resistant materials for which the council could receive additional funding.
Speaking to the Southend Standard, a council spokesman said, “We were planning to paint the timber cladding on the Felmores estate during 2011/12.
“However, during this time a better long-term solution came forward in the form of energy-efficient cladding, which we can receive funding for.”
In a separate statement, the council say that re-cladding and external insulation works “are planned for later this year” and that since the 2009 fire a number of works have taken place at the estate “to minimise the risk and effects of fire on the estate.”
Mandie Skeat, interim head of landlord services said, “Our work to ensure fire barriers are in place has helped to prevent the fire spreading along the row of houses in Winstree.
“Whilst fires do happen, the council has acted to help prevent the spread of fire, and to take away some of the causes of fire. We have done this through the physical checks and improvements made to the estate, and through regular inspections and management to ensure that any rubbish or flytipping is cleared away and cannot be set alight.”
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