Grenfell Tower fire: huge blaze breaks out in 24-storey London apartment block

[Colonel Frank Grimes]

Not long enough to shift the blame on an economic system despite the fact regulations were in place. I can guarantee the rent for these apartments don't match what is needed to keep it up to code. I've seen this many times before where the goal is to help the poor by artificially keeping rent prices low. What happens is the building owner is stuck with a building he can't sell and he loses money to bring it up to code. No one buys property so they can lose money and so with the inability to pass the property onto someone else they try to evade regulations or the state looks the other way. The local government would have to kick people out of their apartments and all they end up doing is placing the burden of the property on the city/town with no property tax dollars going to the coffers and no one willing to buy the property to fix up the place because it's financial suicide.

What ends up happening is the area becomes run down and if the owner eventually goes bankrupt (assuming the person doesn't have other means to offset the financial loss) the city (hopefully) sells it to a construction company that bulldozes the area with the city crossing its fingers that the new fancy houses and building space will bring middle class folks and the poor tenants are now pushed out of the area, which is what would have happened naturally if there was no rent control and they would have had an easier time finding affordable housing (where the buildings would be up to code because the cost doesn't out weigh trying to hide it and bribing people) and be safe. It's literally impossible to hide a building not up to code but what's the point of doing so if you're stuck with property you can't sell to anyone stupid enough to buy it from you (unless it's a construction company that is in a hurry and can't wait long enough for you to go bankrupt and get the property off the town/city) and you may not even have the money to bring it up the code?

The fault lies in people's ignorance of basic economic principles and consequently voting for local leaders who either don't understand or don't care to understand how property is valued but talk a good game about how they care about people.

London apparently doesn't have rent control (although some have been pushing for it).

This is the cause of the fire.

Though Murphy believes that the current legislation is in need of review, he says that the main problem is ensuring that companies do follow the regulations that will protect people. “Are building adequately inspected when they’re going up, are they checked enough?” Murphy asks.

Loftus echoes Murphy’s concerns. “There is a difficulty when you’re mixing new work with an old building,” she says. “You’re making changes to the structure, you’re making changes to the fabric and you have to make sure you’re taking extra care to make sure the changes are safe. Clients need to be very careful and make sure they’re on top of all the issues.”

In many cases, Loftus adds, whoever wins the building contract is responsible for both the design and construction of the edifice. This, she says, can sometimes prevent full and proper oversight of the building. “The regulations are there but it really comes down to the integrity and workmanship on site,” she says.
http://www.newsweek.com/grenfell-tow...ngerous-625761

The state sets the regulations but don't follow through fully.

Although I think a great deal more negligence must be involved for a building to go up in flames that quickly.

[Mingle]

Grenfell Tower fire protesters storm Kensington and Chelsea town hall

http://news.sky.com/story/grenfell-f...-hall-10917777

[♥ Lily ♥]

This is the Ethiopian man (Behailu Kebede) whose faulty fridge is believed to have started the fire, which rules out a 'white revenge attack on muslims' theory. I don't know which country his faulty fridge was made in, or if he bought it from ebay or some second-hand store.



The fire started in his kitchen on the fourth floor and he ran out of his flat to warn his neighbours that his kitchen was on fire before the blaze quickly spread and got out of control: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7792566.html

[♥ Lily ♥]

In addition to £5 million in funds, a 'sea of donations' from an 'army of volunteers' has been sent to the homeless residents of Grenfell Tower, who will be temporarily rehoused before being given a new home 'within 3 weeks' according to the Prime Minister.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...chelsea-relief

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/londo...-a3565631.html


Volunteers from St. John's Cross in the London borough of Islington collect donations for the Grenfell Tower residents

[♥ Lily ♥]

London fire: Grenfell Tower debris fear shuts Tube lines



Two London Tube lines have been partly suspended due to safety concerns with Grenfell Tower.

The Hammersmith and City Line has been suspended between Edgware Road and Hammersmith over fears debris could fall on to the tracks.

The Circle Line is also closed partly due to the fire and partly because of planned engineering work.

Transport for London (TfL) said the move had been made "at the request of the London Fire Brigade".



The fire broke out at the 24-storey block, which contained 120 one and two-bedroom flats, early on Wednesday morning.

Police presume 58 people have died but have warned the figure could grow.

A sign at Ladbroke Grove station said "owing to the safety of the Tower" the lines had been partly suspended.

The London Fire Brigade confirmed it had requested the lines be temporarily closed because of a "short-term risk of some debris falling on to the tracks".

A spokesman said teams were working to secure the debris so the lines could be reopened as soon as possible.

[Sikeliot]

It appears to have been caused by a faulty refrigerator. Still, if the building had adequate fire safety measures, that fire should have been contained to the one apartment and not traveled up the inside of the building. Even a sprinkler system or a fire extinguisher could have prevented it.

[♥ Lily ♥]

Grenfell Tower fire: Boy, 6, gives pocket money to victims


Alfie Lindsey's dad Arthur said his son was moved to help after hearing about the tragedy

A six-year-old boy has gone to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire to donate his pocket money, saying he felt "sad" for the people who had lived there.

Alfie Lindsey visited the west London estate to donate his superhero-themed tin filled with up to £70 in cash.

Alfie's dad Arthur said his son wanted to help after watching news about the tragedy on television.

He handed the money over to the Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin, who said the gesture was "absolutely amazing".

'Little bit worried'

"He brought out of his bag this tin... and I said, 'have you been collecting?' and he said, 'no, it is my pocket money'," the bishop said.

"It was absolutely amazing. It is just a little sign of the incredible outpouring of compassion there has been in London as a result of this.

"And in some ways, that is actually what we need, because we are now in a situation where we probably have enough clothing, food and so on, but cash - money -really does help.

He said when he accepted the donation, he promised Alfie it would get to those who needed it.

Alfie, from Hounslow, said he felt "sad" for the people who lived at Grenfell Tower and a "little bit worried".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40319204

[Sekarotuinen]

London fire: Jeremy Corbyn renews call to seize empty homes


Jeremy Corbyn visited people seeking news of missing loved ones

Jeremy Corbyn has reiterated his suggestion that people left homeless by the Grenfell Tower fire could be housed in empty homes, saying the government has the means to seize property.

"Occupy it, compulsory purchase it, requisition it," the Labour leader told ITV's Peston on Sunday.

At least 58 people are believed to have died and many more are homeless after fire engulfed a London tower block.

The government says its staff have been drafted in to help the relief effort.

The move comes after the prime minister said the initial official response had "not been good enough".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40319515

Lol, steal private property. What a great man.

[Neon Knight]

Apparently in the UK it's mandatory for hotels to have fire alarms installed, but it's not compulsary in council blocks.

Politicians stated that 'We've not seen anything as horrific as this since the Kings Cross fire, or the London Blitz in WW2, or the Great Fire of London in 1666 when nearly all of the City of London burned down after a fire broke-out in a bakery in Pudding Lane, before Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt the City of London within Central London as we have two cities named as London within London.'

As bad as the Blitz or Great Fire??? It's obviously tragic, but I don't see why it should be given so much time on the news. It was basically an accident, an accident in a greatly overcrowded city. Last year 1,810 people were killed in road accidents, so where is the big inquiry into that?

[♥ Lily ♥]

As bad as the Blitz or Great Fire??? It's obviously tragic, but I don't see why it should be given so much time on the news. It was basically an accident, an accident in a greatly overcrowded city. Last year 1,810 people were killed in road accidents, so where is the big inquiry into that?

True, I agree... it's not even a tiny fraction as bad as the Great Fire or the Blitz.

I think the reason why it's being given so much media coverage (along with visits from the Royal family and visits to the Grenfell site from politicians,) is because people feel shocked and distressed to see horrific images of people trapped in a burning tower and after seeing disturbing images of children being thrown from the tall building.

I think the public anger, protests, and urges for the government to ensure that tall buildings will be made safer in future to prevent a tragic accident from ever happening again, is due to there being a lot of high-rise buildings across the UK (especially in London where there's over 700 tall buildings,) and people want to feel safe after seeing those shocking images last Wednesday.