More than 700 flats were evacuated in tower blocks on an estate in the Swiss Cottage region of northwest London because of fire risk concerns, after the tragic Grenfell inferno this month which gutted an entire tower.
A massive fire had engulfed Grenfell Tower in North Kensington earlier this month, killing more than 80 people and injuring several others. Inspections were conducted throughout the city after the fire gutted an entire tower, which revealed that many buildings in London were either not fully equipped or were vulnerable to fire risks.
Camden Council said that people in at least four towers on the Chalcots estate were moved for "urgent fire safety works," according to BBC reports. The council added that it was booking hotels for the evacuees. However, around 100 residents have spent the night on air beds in a leisure centre.
Reports state that the evacuation was conducted after it was found out that the estate's cladding was similar to that of the Grenfell Tower. Chalcots was reportedly refurbished between the year 2006 and 2009 by the same firm which oversaw refurbishment works at the Grenfell Tower in 2015-2016.
The Camden Council said it will take the required measures to make the building safe, which included removing external thermal cadding from at least five tower blocks on the Chalcots estate. It also added that there were safety concerns about the insulation of gas pipes which go into the flats as well as the fire doors of the building.
Initially, the council had announced the evacuation of just one tower block. However, it decided to extend the evacuation to all five tower blocks, after they were inspected.
