Grenfell Tower

Shocking image. Never seen a conflagration like that ! Total fire code failure. I read the building was completed in 1974. Was someone using multiple flats as marijuana grow operations ? How does a fire spread THAT fast and TOTAL ? Is this London's 9-11 ?

Kenji has it right. In a well designed and maintained building the fire should not spread like that. The government might not have installed sprinklers during construction or as a retrofit?

My local news said the fire started on the second floor.

They say the Fire Codes are written with blood. This may be an example.

Aloha Snackbar?

You can bet the first thing the fire department will think is arson, because 90% of the time it is

Bushitler did it

Sad day for the families or individuals who were there.

Can't believe that the fire spread throughout a 24 story building. Sprinklers must have failed.

Looking at the images ... I believe the fire spread so quickly because of the flammability of the exterior cladding. Lots of Euro buildings use "rainscreen" cladding comprised of composite (plastic) panels ... that can be very flammable ... and are usually suspended off the building face with airspace behind (very good oxygenation) The entire building skin is gone ... burned off ... early video shows massive vertical fire columns on the exterior. I am going to blame the exterior cladding system ... just wait till ISIS learns to identify which buildings can be made into Roman Candles ... just a little accelerant and whoom! There go the infidels

Recall the Dubai hotel fire? Exterior cladding of flammable material. London building may have preceded sprinklers.
1971 ten storey office building east of Chinook Center, Calgary, no sprinklers.

This just in:
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/AS-Britain-London-Fire/2017/06/13/id/795889/

The apartment block was built in 1974.

Local residents had warned a year ago about a potential fire risk caused by rubbish being allowed to accumulate during improvement works.

"This matter is of particular concern as there is only one entry and exit to Grenfell Tower during the improvement works," read a blog post by the Grenfell Action Group.

"The potential for a fire to break out in the communal area on the walkway does not bear thinking about as residents would be trapped in the building with no way out," it said.

...

Absolutely BRILLIANT...only one exit and it's blocked by FIRE!

Cheers

Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief

1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group 'True North'

I have been involved in worldwide fire protection sysytems for 40 years and the UK Regulations for installing sprinklere or other suppression system are abysmal
around 70% of all fires occur in occupied living spaces yet is is NORMAL to install suppression sytems in hotels and high rise office buildings protecting property, assets and capital NOT human life.
I strongly suspect that there are NO suppression systems (usually sprinklers) in this building.
I can state for sure that if a sprinkler system was installed the sprinklers would certainly have suppressed or extinguished the blaze.

In contrast the USA Australia, Singapore, Thailand and even China (amongst others!) have much higher standards based on the protection of LIFE AND property--in that order!
In the past I have been part of UK based organisations attempting to improve lesgislation and this process has been delayed by:-
Lack of understanding by political/governmental organisisations
Protectionist attitudes of sprinkler/fire protection companies and organisations attemting to keep out new and innovative companies and product(a cartel like approach.
In this modern age the possible lack of a fire protection system should be considered as a criminal act and those in charge should be prosecuted to the full under law

Oops !

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/housing/regenyour-neighbourhood/grenfell-tower

seems as though the building was being retrofitted with some nice new "insulated exterior cladding". Read: Climate Change cladding ... to cope with the runaway renewable energy costs ...

Government (FREE to IMMIGRANT) Housing

Typical third world problems.

Has Trump been blamed for it yet?

Only hope that there are no victims, having said that I find it hard to comprehend a lack of fire suppression system would cause a blaze of such intensity. Insulated exterior cladding I think would have to have some degree of fire rating. The amount of inferno visible to the interior sections of the building and the speed of spread might indicate some accelerant might have been in play. If that is the case I wonder how it will be played out in the Fire Chief's office and on the national news. But then again as the Mayor has explained you have to expect these kind of things in a metropolitan, multicultural, diverse city like London.

London Fire Brigade statement to media:

30 injured in local hospitals

confirmed multiple fatalities (no number given) RIP

no cause for fire as yet

Will update going forward.

Still evacuating residents with firefighters wearing long term breathing apparatus. ie multiple oxygen/air tanks.

...
An epic cluster screw up to be sure...

Cheers

Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief

1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group 'True North'

Do they even install sprinklers in he UK? I can't remember seeing any when I last visited friends there. I think this is not quite common in Europe. In Switzerland there are never sprinklers, no smoke alarms and no emergency/multiple exits. Not even fire ladders of any kind. I you life on the eighth floor, that's where you stay in the case of a massive fire or one aflicting the only stairway... horrendous thought.

I live in a 6 story condo, it is concrete, the walls, floors, ceilings are all concrete. what was the building made of? I can't imagine a fire at our building even escaping to another apartment.

That fancy light weight flammable cladding isn't looking like such a bargain now.

I watched a little bit of coverage last night. There wasn't any building resident interviewed who wasn't Muslim. This tower was almost certainly 99% Muslim.