Fire door problems endemic in Grenfell Tower, survivors’ testimonies show

Inside Housing’s analysis reveals 29 of the 81 had problems with the new windows fitted during the refurbishment – including experiencing drafts. The inquiry is investigating whether the new windows allowed fire from the cladding in and out of the flats.

The analysis also shows at least 29 complained to KCTMO or contractor Rydon, which was responsible for fitting the windows but not the fire doors, about one or both of these issues.

Emma Dent Coad, the Labour MP for Kensington where Grenfell is located, said: “These findings put numbers on the culture of disrespect for tenants that we all knew about. They represent 29 missed chances to save lives on the night of 14 June.”

Representatives of KCTMO and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are due to appear before the inquiry for the first time today.

Most of Grenfell Tower’s wooden fire doors were replaced with plastic composite models in 2012/13. In March, the police revealed a sample door had failed to meet the minimum standards set by building guidance.

Neil Ashdown, a fire door expert, said: “If the flat entrance doesn’t close automatically then when people leave the flat to escape the fire the door is likely to stay open behind them. And so that means there’s no resistance at all there and the common areas would quickly become untenable, making it very difficult for other people to escape.”

Hanan Wahabi, who lived on the ninth floor, told the inquiry her self-closer broke shortly after the door was installed meaning the door would not close at all.

“They removed the pole entirely rather than fixing it, so my door never closed automatically,” she said. “I called KCTMO back to complain but my door was never fixed.”

Hoang Khanh Quang, who lived on the 10th floor, said a handyman attended after he reported the self-closer broken.

He added: “The handyman told me that there were other front doors in the tower which also did not automatically close and the tenants didn’t mind it. He told me that it was not necessary for my door to automatically close. I didn’t know anything about fire safety at the time and so I just accepted his advice. I thought he was the expert. From this date onwards, my front door did not automatically shut and I would have to close it myself.”

In his evidence, Edward Daffarn – a prominent campaigner and author of the Grenfell Action Group blog – who lived on the 16th floor said he reported a fire door on his floor standing open.

But he then received an email from KCTMO which said on its inspection it was able to close it.

He said this suggested the TMO “failed to action the fact that the front door to flat 136 was not self-closing when it should have been”.

On windows, many residents said they experienced cold drafts coming in through gaps after new windows were fitted in the refurbishment which was completed in 2016.

Michael Sobieszczak, who lived on the seventh floor, said he could see gaps between the window and the building which were covered with plastic. He said: “After the job was finished I could feel the draft from the window on a windy day. It seemed to be a little bit of a cowboy job.”

Marcio Gomes, who lived on floor 21, added: “The fact that the new window frames were smaller than the previous window frames resulted in substantial gaps being left around the edges of the window and underneath the window ledge. These gaps were filled with mastic and some sort of a foam-type substance.”

The windows are a crucial line of investigation for the inquiry in establishing how the fire broke out of the kitchen on the fourth floor and ignited the cladding, and how it was able to enter back into people’s homes.

Many residents have described seeing the flames enter their homes through the windows. An expert report by Dr Barbara Lane for the inquiry identified “multiple ways” fire could have broken through the windows due to combustible materials used and cavity gaps.