Residents of a South London tower block say they "can't sleep at night" after a recent fire made them question their safety in their homes, as they were roused by the smell of smoke rather than alarms. The group of Lewisham residents have hit out at their housing association after having to go door to door to wake their neighbours, as they claim no alarms were sounded after a discarded cigarette caused a significant flat fire.
Fire safety systems under scrutiny
The building's fire safety measures operate on a compartmentalisation system, meaning sprinklers only activate in the affected flat. The alarm system works similarly, not sounding throughout the entire building. However, residents have now questioned the system's worthiness, as some outside the directly affected area could smell the smoke from the fire.
The residents of Centralis House in Ladywell, Lewisham, have told MyLondon that they now feel unsafe in their homes, as they claim the fire safety doors failed to release during the incident. The residents are now looking for answers. The doors in the building are designed to prevent the spread of fire.
London Fire Brigade response
The London Fire Brigade has confirmed that it was called to Bertrand Street in Ladywell at 6.54am on September 16. Upon arrival, around 20 people had left the building, and there were no reports of any injuries. The cause of the fire was believed to be the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.
In addition to the concerns, the residents claim that the scene has not been cleaned and that the corridor has not yet been cleared, with soot covering the walls.
Residents demand transparency from Peabody
One of the residents said: "They told us that the building was acting accordingly, we had someone out for the sprinklers the next day and a fire inspection the day after that. We had to knock on every door; the sprinklers and alarms didn't go off."
"We were concerned that we weren't going to get everybody out. I feel like everything has been swept under the rug, we are just not informed about what is happening. We just want some transparency from Peabody. We are entitled to know that our building is safe."
"I can't sleep at night because I'm so stressed with the situation. We just want to know that we are safe in our homes, there are families here. We were asleep when it happened and we only found out about it because a neighbour next door said they could smell smoke."
Peabody's response and measures
Peabody operates a "stay put policy" during fires as well as the compartmentalisation system for the sprinklers and alarms. The housing association conducted checks on all the residents and were on the scene straight away. Tests were also reportedly carried out on the smoke ventilation system outside the affected flat after it activated during the fire. A fire risk assessment was completed by Peabody, who said that all of the measures were in working order.
A Peabody spokesperson said: "We know how worrying a fire can be. Thankfully nobody was hurt, and the London Fire Brigade confirmed that the fire was contained within the flat where it started. Our teams were there quickly to check residents were okay. They then cleaned the affected areas and made sure the building’s fire safety systems were working properly. The smoke ventilation system activated during the fire, and the sprinklers in other homes were not triggered because the fire and heat did not spread. We’ve been talking to residents since the fire to check they’re okay and answer any questions they have. We’re also continuing to support the resident whose home was affected."
