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| London Fire Brigade has commented on the recent Camberwell fire |
LFB comments on fighting Camberwell fire
Speaking about the London Fire Brigade's response to the Camberwell tower block fire, London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said today: "Firefighters were at the scene within minutes of being called. There was no delay in getting fire engines to the incident and firefighters took immediate action as soon as they arrived. Crews worked under very difficult and hazardous circumstances to reach people trapped in the building as soon as they were able to.
"There have been some confusing suggestions made about fire engine ladders not being long enough and this is not correct. Ladders were used where appropriate, but we do not use them to put out fires above nine floors. Fire engineering solutions are part of the design of all high rise buildings, these include the materials they are made of, the installation of dry risers (the water mains the Brigade connect to in high rise buildings) and the structure itself. These systems worked properly, as did the hard wired smoke alarms fitted in each property. Firefighters reported that these were sounding as they dealt with the fire.
"We worked as fast as we could and rescued many people from the block. Sadly, and to the huge regret of the crews involved we simply could not reach everyone in time.
"This is a tragic incident, and thoughts are very much with the families of those who have lost loved ones. A full investigation is now underway, and this is likely to take a while, and until that investigation is completed we cannot provide further information about likely cause or why the fire spread the way that it did."
