Leaked Barking fire report reveals ‘significant risk to life’ from blaze

Included in the make-up of the balconies was a black plastic mesh, which the report said rapidly spread the fire horizontally and vertically, depositing considerable amounts of “flaming molten plastic droplets” and created “small pool fires” below.

It added: “The use of the black plastic netting with wood meant the fire from a tiny ignition could effect the entirety of the structure.”

The report also said the fire could have been much worse, revealing that a 19kg cylinder of propane was found in the roof of the building following the fire. This was not damaged by the fire.

It also said the fire spread would have been more devastating if it started on the opposite side of the building, where there was no separation between the timber on the balcony and the rest of the block.

It said if the fire had occurred on the “opposite side of the building, the combustibility of the materials could have allowed the fire to have spread along the entire west facing exterior… involving many more properties.”

Bellway, the developer of the block, told Inside Housing that work to remove the timber from Samuel Garside House and the neighbouring Ernest Websdale House had begun but was on pause due to the coronavirus crisis. Work is to resume on 11 May.

When Samuel Garside House was built, the official guidance – Approved Document B – required cladding materials to have a fire performance of at least Class B on buildings above 18m.

However, it set no standards for the combustibility of cladding below this height and balconies were widely believed to be exempt at any height – meaning Bellway and architects Sheppard Robson would likely have believed the design was in compliance with the guidance.

However the Bureau Veritas report concluded that the combination of materials was so combustible, it breached the performance standard in Approved Document B, which said the “external envelope of a building should not provide a medium for fire spread if it is likely to be a risk to health and safety”.

Bellway said that it could not comment on the findings of the LFB report as it had not received a copy. However, it refuted the claims that the building did not meet regulations and said the design and construction of the development complied with the guidance in Approved Document B (Fire Safety) as well as all other relevant guidance in British Standards.

In 2018, guidance was toughened to ban combustible materials for the external walls of buildings above 18m altogether. Following a consultation, this threshold is likely to be lowered to 11m later this month.

There are currently dozens of other blocks and houses across the Barking Riverside development which contain the same or similar wooden cladding and balconies.

A letter from Barking Riverside Limited, the L&Q and Greater London Authority joint venture which owns the Barking Riverside site, to residents in February said that it was looking at options to improve the fire safety on buildings across the development.

The letter, which was titled “update on exterior timber”, said that every building would receive a new independent fire safety report, with any work being started in the autumn at no cost to residents.

Before photo of Samuel Garside House (the Barking fire property) from property listings website shows the extent of the timber used on the balconies pic.twitter.com/zL0QMgX59O

— Peter Apps (@PeteApps)

Before photo of Samuel Garside House (the Barking fire property) from property listings website shows the extent of the timber used on the balconies pic.twitter.com/zL0QMgX59O

— Peter Apps (@PeteApps) June 10, 2019

Responding to the LFB report, Pete Mason, chair of the Barking Reach Residents Association, said: “Landlords and managing agents had two years since Grenfell to inspect and make good the balconies and cladding throughout the estate and did not.

“We feel all the parties and landlords involved failed to make sure the properties were safe and endangered lives.”

Jonathan Evans, chief executive of cladding company Ash and Lacy and fire safety expert, said the report shows that timber used in construction might be more dangerous than previously thought, adding that the Barking fire adds support to the need for the combustibles ban to be brought to any building over 11m.

He said: “Samuel Garside is significant as it suffered a catastrophic fire, but being under 18m its construction would currently still be possible.

“If the combustible ban were to drop to 11m, then this building with these materials would have become impossible."

A spokesperson for Bellway said: "As a responsible developer Bellway has worked extremely hard at Barking Riverside to understand and respond to the concerns of the building owners, residents and other key partners.

"We have not received a copy of London Fire Brigade’s report into the fire so cannot comment on the findings at this time but this is not a case of non-compliance.

"We can confirm that the design and construction of the development complied with the guidance in Approved Document B (Fire Safety) as well as all other relevant guidance in British Standards.

"Works to all 70 apartments is now complete, with the final phase of ‘balcony works‘ suspended due to COVID-19, these works are now planned to restart on 11th May.​

"Interim fire safety measures have been in place, such as simultaneous evacuation strategy, audible alarms and waking watch, to ensure the continued safety of residents until such time as the work is completed.​​"

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Following the blaze in De Pass Gardens, our fire safety inspectors worked closely with the responsible person who put in place temporary safety measures, including waking watches and restrictions on balcony usage as well as the installation of common alarm systems.”