London - All public institutions in Britain are required to review fire safety measures in buildings under their management, including hospitals and schools, following the recent tragic fire in a high-rise building in London, if they suspect that the measures are inadequate. This was announced today by a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May, according to Reuters.
The British government announced today that 75 high-rise buildings in England have so far failed fire safety tests. Authorities are reviewing the safety of about 600 tower blocks across England after the tragic fire in the 24-story Grenfell Tower apartment building in west London.
"It is clear that this is concerning. Concerning for residents who live in these blocks," said the spokesman at a regular government briefing. "That is why we have implemented a system where testing can be done very quickly," he added, stating that local authorities can be immediately informed and implement appropriate measures. The spokesman also urged owners and managers of apartment buildings to promptly send material from the buildings for potential safety review.
The tests are being conducted after the fire on June 14, which resulted in at least 79 fatalities. Investigators found that the fire started from a refrigerator, and the rapid spread of the flames could have been caused by poor-quality insulation cladding on the building.
On Friday and Saturday, authorities in north London preemptively evacuated approximately 4,000 people from five high-rise buildings identified as having the same flammable cladding as Grenfell Tower. The non-compliant thermal insulation is to be removed from the buildings.
American company Arconic, which manufactures it, announced today that it is stopping the sale of the insulation for use in high-rise buildings. "We believe this is a good decision given the differences in regulations around the world and the concerns raised by the Grenfell Tower tragedy," the company stated in a declaration. In the United States and some other countries, this insulation had previously been banned for high-rise buildings due to fire risks, but it had been widely used in Britain, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to AFP, today's decision by the company applies to buildings taller than about 12 meters. However, one of the company’s spokesmen told The Wall Street Journal that there is talk of a complete halt to the sale of this insulation. Arconic's stock price dropped by as much as 11 percent today, but later recouped a large portion of the losses.
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