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GRENFELL: A new report says that a block of flats secured to house survivors of the tragedy has a high risk of fire

SURVIVORS OF the Grenfell Tower fire have been placed in flats with a high risk of fire, according to a new report.

As part of its efforts to house those who lost their homes in the blaze that killed 72 people in 2017, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea bought a block of 31 flats on Hortensia Road, London, last year.

The flats, which currently house 20 people, were found to have a “high substantial risk” of fire, according to a new fire risk assessment undertaken by Fire-X, a consultancy, Inside Housing reported.

Fire-X, which was commissioned to carry out the assessment by residents, revealed that doors were not equipped with smoke seals, the smoke extraction system was not working and there was a lack of adequate evacuation procedures for disabled residents.

The report also said that in the event that a fire started, it could travel quickly from flat to flat due to a lack of a reasonable standard of compartmentation, Inside Housing reported. It also noted that personal items had been placed in electrical riser cupboards and that there was “no evidence” that cladding on the building had been assessed.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said that its first priority was the safety of its residents.

Referring to the block of flats, it told Inside Housing: “It has a sprinkler system, 30-minute fire-resistant doors and a firefighter lift for use in the event of an emergency. We undertake weekly block inspections to ensure communal areas are kept clear and any safety issues are dealt with.”

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea also questioned the accuracy of the report, which it argued contained numerous errors.

“The fire risk assessment (FRA) being discussed was commissioned by one resident and is a Type 1. It contains a number of errors and parts appear to be cut and pasted from other assessments. There are also references to features which do not exist at Hortensia Road,” Inside Housing reported it said.

Labour MP Sarah Jones said putting people who survived the tragedy in buildings where they were at risk of another was “reprehensible”.

The shadow minister for housing said: “This is yet another example of how neither the Conservative government nor Kensington and Chelsea Council have learned the lessons from the Grenfell tragedy. No-one should be living in unsafe buildings, but of all people, putting Grenfell survivors at risk of another fire is reprehensible.

“Two years after Grenfell, 60,000 people are still living in tower blocks with deadly cladding, ninety-five per cent of council blocks still don’t have sprinklers, and countless more could be at risk because the government has failed to do safety checks on most tower blocks.”

Labour MP for Kensington Emma Dent Coad said lessons have not been learned from the 2017 fire.

She said: “Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea senior councillors have learnt nothing. I was shocked at the attitude during a meeting I attended with survivors concerned about fire safety at Hortensia. They were afraid, not taken seriously."