Bolton block fire: Concerns over cladding

An investigation is underway into the fire which swept through a six storey student accommodation block in Bolton - gutting and badly damaging several floors.
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Witnesses said the flames tore through the upper part of the building 'within minutes' - although officials insisted it did not have the same type of cladding that was around Grenfell Tower. Two people were treated at the scene, with 200 firefighters battling for more than nine hours to contain the blaze.
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[@Son96601]

Awful reporting, many of the students who escaped there said on twitter that no fire alarms went off, they were only alerted by other students screaming or knocking on their doors to get them out

[@m.jwallis-king6012]

America has gun problems we have cladding , this is ridiculous two years on from Grenfell and we still cant sort out our problem.

[@MetricImperialist]

Cladding doesn't kill people, fires do. You people want to stop the fire from spreading, then stop it from spreading to the cladding in the first place!!! The cladding is not the source of the fire. Why is the concept of cause and effect so difficult for you people to comprehend?

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist You logic is faulty, the issue here is flammable cladding remove that and there's no fuel for a fire so it can't spread.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@MrDeadhead1952 Why don't you just stop being a dumbass and respond to my responses to you instead of avoiding them like a disingenuous moron?

[@DavidWilliams-DSW558]

Is it really just the UK that uses cladding? I doubt it!

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist The dumbass here is you, the basis of fire protection is to stop fire spreading, fire doors, sprinkler systems etc. Fires will always happen, people make mistakes, electrical systems develop faults. If you can keep a fire in its place of origin the fire service has time to get it under control and put it out. However if the building concerned is covered with flammable cladding and the fire reaches it the fire can spread to the entire building. This is what happened at Grenfall which went from a refrigerator fire in one flat to entire building burning in half an hour. The person being disingenuous here is you by wilful ignoring the facts and trying to place the blame on the victims.

[@grahamstyles2758]

If you're not sure which way to vote on Dec 12th...ask yourself one question. Would Corbyn or the Tories be more likely to stop another Grenfell?.... who really cares about the British people?

[@XiamaraTheToxicMu]

no one cares.

[@gkelectrical1]

Since thatcher effed up the world nobody cares about anyone. Everyone just thinks about themselves

[@smiller700]

Housing associations where given a pass not to have to replace the dangerous cladding according to cornerstone housing association in exeter

[@taith2]

@@saxglend9439 more like cut throat capitalism, it was too expensive, human life is worthless for them after all, hail conservatives!

[@Fishingadventureuk]

@@saxglend9439 Stupidity kills more

[@Rich0029]

Corbyn therapist socialism isn’t communism idiot.

[@QT5656]

LOL typical right wing tactic - pretend that politics is a binary choice between Stalin's Russia and a runaway capitalist oligarchy. What about the number of lives the NHS has saved? The number of lives improved by regulation of mercury, lead, and radiation? The lives improved by state education? The amount of foundational technological research achieved thanks to state funded research?

[@taith2]

Ah yes, I want to add to latest tragedy this insightful analysis kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6mwdnR3hLmnaZI Quote of the day: Their objective was to get their hands on the land Don't you love psychopath level of capitalism? Build private schools around poor can't afford and disfranchise them so they leave and we can make billion on the land. Neglect and exclude poor from main London, they don't belong here

[@edwardhoulton8725]

I thought this would happen again.

[@RaRa-eu9mw]

With the Tories in power, this will keep on happening, again and again, there'll be more and more lives lost, and the government will do nothing.

[@rokketron]

@@RaRa-eu9mw Idiot!

[@tomwilson5108]

@@rokketron truth hurts

[@edwardhoulton8725]

Ra Ra Well Ra Ra. I am elected ward Cllr for Lowton in Wigan MBC. That is a Labour run council and always has been since it was amalgamated from smaller councils. After Grenfell burnt we had a meeting with senior council directors and I told them that ALL building in Wigan needed to be checked for safety. I was told that private run tower blocks were not council concern. I said if they live in Wigan they ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITY. I told them that the news has said that most if not all cladding was dangerous. THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN. Don’t blame me and my party for this.

[@davidstorton]

Grenfell, before the cladding was added was like a big brick, does not go up in flames easily. Add cladding and you change what is essentially a brick into an incendiary device.

[@themasteryourdaddy.6307]

Shocking, the heartless tory government should make all these buildings with all types of dangerous cladding, empty them, and a danger zone.

[@AA-pk6fo]

what a moron. this has absolutely nothing to do with the tories. Bolton's city council is run by the labour party you absolute spoon

[@themasteryourdaddy.6307]

@@AA-pk6fo ...... you stupid fool. After Grenfell, Teresa May didnt call for a state of emergency on all the buildings with that type of cladding to be emptied and fixed immediately. She did nothing, because she never gave a dam. And left it, Boris did nothing either. Shame on the tories, only Corbyn can save the day. You stupid fool, shame on you.......

[@MetricImperialist]

@@themasteryourdaddy.6307 Cladding on buildings is NOT the responsibility of the government. Tax payers should not be paying for 'upgrades" on private buildings. You're such moron, people like you make countries weak.

[@RaRa-eu9mw]

@@AA-pk6fo What does the council have to do with it? This is a privately owned building. It's the Tories who have failed to put in any appropriate legislation after Grenfell.

[@honeybadger9425]

@@themasteryourdaddy.6307 Right so you just kicked thousands of people out there homes across the UK where do you plan to put them all? Some from Grenfell are still in hotels today. Councils and landlords need to do it all in a ordely way and have tough penalties if the works not done. Its a bit unrealistic to think it can all be done quickly nation wide. Such is the media we probably wont hear a scooby about the buildings that have already been fixed either.

[@TheCanadiangirl4]

Thank goodness all the students managed to get out safe.

[@bigbang7897]

When you have cheap construction inspected and passed by local authority building control this is what happens so don't go blaming the Fire Service.

[@MetricImperialist]

So only cheap things catch on fire??? What makes you think anything about this build was cheap?

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist Simple the cladding was inflamable and which can clearly be seen in the coverage , non-flammable rock wool insulation is more expensive

[@JohnSmith-gj3hg]

@@MrDeadhead1952 agreed.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@MrDeadhead1952 Just because there is a more expensive option doesn't mean this building's exterior was cheap. If they wanted cheap, they would've used aluminium siding or just plain brick.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist Clearly you don't understand the purpose of the cladding and how it is paid for. As part of energy saving strategy putting insulating cladding on the outside of buildings is eligible for a grant to maximise its value its standard practice to put the lowest cost cladding on as its a fixed amount. The cheapest cladding is flammable. Do some research before make stupid ill considered posts which don't address the facts.

[@bazpearce9993]

Luckily, this place is only a few minutes away from the town's main fire station. On Friday morning i walked by this building. Wondering what it would be like to live there.

[@professorpancakes6545]

Maybe just don't put cladding on buildings? It's literally just aesthetic and has no point other than to make a building look nicer on the outside than it is in the inside.

[@spareclaire]

I was in one of the top flats and my fire alarm didn’t go off 100%, the worst part is that the cause of the fire was an electrical fault which was known about. My kitchen had water coming through the ceiling for weeks so much so that the kitchen lights stopped working and we were told it was because the water had got into the electrics. I put a maintenance request in every few days since September to get it fixed and we were told there was no one available to fix anything and now this has happened which could have easily been prevented and I’ve lost everything

[@SH-fx6ks]

Is there anything you all may need?

[@soph66661]

Dear can I be of any help ??

[@robinblitz5213]

How about requiring sprinkler systems in all high rise and student housing!

[@Truth2power5848]

Robin blitz you would think it was a given wtf do they do with all the money they take It’s actually ridiculous and disgusting we should oust the government for

[@jamescampbell7780]

I don’t hear any contribution by the British Standards Institution on the fire resistance recommendations being given to the numerous local authorities throughout the country who have used polystyrene and styrofoam external insulation!

[@TheArchiTenshi]

I live in student accommodation. We get frequent fire alarms. This now poses a new problem, no one trusts the alarm. When it sounds no one leaves. This is a huge problem!

[@ArcAudios77]

Building Regulation should never have allowed the widespread use of this material. It needs removing from every Property. Material Testing should have determined this was a dangerous Fire Risk Material. Pathetic on so many levels. Thankful that no lives were lost here.

[@MetricImperialist]

Should all flammable material in the country be banned?

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@Hardcore Hokage And the increased number house fires as a result of its increased use in structural construction..

[@ArcAudios77]

@@MetricImperialist I call for the removal of worthless cladding materials that pose significant Fire Risk to Buildings. Wake Up Metric Imperialist.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@Hardcore Hokage Well actually under some circumstances it can. But that wasn't the point I was making, an increasing number of timber framed buildings are being built and increasing numbers are catching fire. Because the major structural components are wood fire results in greater destruction than fires in buildings using more traditional methods i.e brick or steel frame.

[@meganmay6596]

There were no arrangements. No student coordinators? What happened was pure panic as a lot of the alarms didn't go off. There were many students getting people out but no one had planned to do it incase it ever happened.

[@BarryWaterlow]

Renovations should only be done only at a time when the building is not occupied.

[@SiVlog1989]

More than that, they materials used should not be of a flammable material. Is it really right that a material used only to make a building look good catch fire when it's exposed to a named flame? Everyone who lives and works in such buildings shouldn't be exposed to such risks

[@rokketron]

I'll wager it doesn't get anywhere near as much media coverage as Grenfell!

You know you're watching a clip from the TV.

[@MetricImperialist]

Good, I'm tired of hearing about a burnt out building.

[@comanchio1976]

rokketron That's because no-one died, genius

[@kopend8638]

Clown,your watching this on channel 4.

[@chelseagreer6264]

I should hope not too. While this is sad its no where comparable with grenfell where people lost lives.

[@Zaarin2007]

Tories don't care!

[@archiekleung]

Car manufacturers often recall cars for safety reason. This one is big money therefore it is harder to fix.

[@jarent2652]

In Birmingham they closed a student building for year to remove cladding. Landlords in Birmingham decided it wasn't worth the risk.

[@ismaelismael2835]

What happens to the students belongings that were destroyed?

[@_l735]

No sprinklers is just insanity.

[@azul8811]

Agreed! Unfortunately it's not unusual. It's outrageous, but not unusual. One might expect that kind of insanity in 3rd World countries, but here in NYC they did not require sprinkler systems for Fire Proof High Rise *Multiple Dwellings* until 1999. The 1999 law is not retroactive and only applies to new construction. It was enacted as a result of a high profile fatal fire that originated in the actor Macaulay Culkin's Manhattan apartment on December 1998. There were 4 fatalities in the building. As a matter of fact, sprinkler systems were not required in Fireproof High Rise *Office Buildings* in NYC until a local law was passed in the City Council in 1973 to amend the NYC Building Code. The NYC Fire Department had fought for years against the lawyers representing the building and real estate lobby. They were still litigating it 1975! Fortunately the City eventually prevailed. Speaking of insanity. The Trump Tower on 5th Ave. in Manhattan was completed in 1983. It's 58 stories of mixed use...with offices, and stores on the lower floors... and apartments on the floors above. The commercial areas and office areas have sprinkler protection...BUT not the apartments! Yeah, I know... way too much information!

[@docswidow2479]

Poor things

[@sn4rff]

mesmerizing to watch - it's horrifying just how quickly that took hold. legislative reforms must be overdue - not a party-policital view-point, but as a pressing matter of public safety.

[@GlobalOffense]

Another horrible fire because of cladding in Britten. It’s disgusting.

[@H4bzz]

aaaah even in my own town i didnt know this was happening when it started

[@pedrodegreatlazoro1416]

All insulation is at European standards and is demanded by European law

[@stevenmoirey2j367]

u teach lesson yet they don't follow them.

[@proskipper1]

The Mayor admits they were aware of the nature of the cladding - interim measure - cross you fingers and hope no one dies. Corporate negligence.....

[@MrDeadhead1952]

But not on the part of the Corporation but the owners of these privately owned flats.

[@GlobalOffense]

The audio is horrible, oh it’s a Channel 4 video. That’s normal, never mind.

[@hamishdavidson3368]

This cladding problem is global. Similar fires have happened in Australia also. Material quality checks on cladding are or haven’t been properly done. Are building inspectors in the UK privatised like in Australia? If so it’s open to corruption.

[@gkelectrical1]

People don’t realise That these properties basically become worthless, the owners can’t move and so it causes a shortage on housing keeping prices up

[@Raider_MXD]

Isn't it strange that the major is aware of 60 potentially unsafe buildings and seemlingly is doing nothing to get them fixed?

[@RaRa-eu9mw]

What can he do? They are privately owned buildings.

[@Raider_MXD]

@@RaRa-eu9mw Oh that poor guy, he's completely helpless and can't take any action such as publishing a list of suspicious buildings so that residents and the general public can put pressure on the owners, conduct tests with the suspicious materials to assess the level of danger or put local regulations in place that require inhabited buildings not to be deathtraps.

[@RaRa-eu9mw]

@@Raider_MXD ... yeah. Which of those actions do you think he has the legal right to do?

[@rohanna4952]

这不是尼克家么

[@momurda6]

Fire proof materials in a building is required I hear... wheres the $$$$ going to come from to pay for it?

[@chilled99]

Andy Burnham... an unfortunate name for this reporter for this story. And he burned em

[@MetricImperialist]

OMFG! A building caught on fire. Therefore the people I disagree with politically are 100% responsible!!! The UK has become a joke.

[@RaRa-eu9mw]

Do you think buildings should have flammable cladding? Do you think the fire service should be defunded? These are political questions, because the current government says yes to both, when every right thinking person says no.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@RaRa-eu9mw Should all flammable material in the country be banned?? Does the government have to micromanage every single aspect of society?? Is the government responsible for every single car collision in the country because they regulate road safety??

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist Moron no one is suggesting that flammable material should be banned just it shouldn't be used to insulate the external walls of buildings which resulted in the death of over seventy people when it burnt. It should also be noted this manly affects rented property where the people actually paying have no choice in the matter.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@MrDeadhead1952 Hey moron, I never said that anyone was suggesting that. I was making a point and it clearly went over your head.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@Metric Imperialist No you stated it as a hypothetical and failed to address the question. Its moronic to put flammable material on the exterior of buildings thus enabling the spread of fire and anyone who suggests that it isn't part of remit of governance to ensure it isn't is a moron.

[@justjackman]

Completely unacceptable. Fires should not be able to spread like that

[@justjackman]

I think you misunderstood what I meant. I meant to say the design is completely unacceptable. The concept of building design is that the fire is ‘compartmentalised’ in the area where to fire started.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@Hardcore Hokage Nothing to do with physics its chemistry, ifd the building hadn't been clad with flammable panels the fire couldn't have spread the way it did.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@justjackman He didn't misunderstand, look at his other posts he's a troll.

[@justjackman]

Hardcore Hokage what was your point? I don’t think you actually said anything of any substance

[@jenniferholden9397]

Australia said cladding was dangerous back in 2000.

[@MetricImperialist]

So what? The cladding wasn't the source of the fire..

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist No but it was the cause of it's rapid spread, try to keep up with the story.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@MrDeadhead1952 You were NOT tagged here. Stop being such a coward.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist How am I coward I post using my real name unlike you snowflake. Oh and by the way you just tagged me.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@MrDeadhead1952 Oh god I hope you're not over the age of 12 because you're cowardliness so pathetic.... "You were NOT" means you were NOT previously tagged you moron.

[@SiVlog1989]

It doesn't matter who is to blame, both for the fire starting (if anyone) and installing the cladding, the lessons of Grenfell Tower and now this is that buildings shouldn't be fitted with cladding that's flammable and any that does have it fitted should have them removed, period. People who live and work in these buildings shouldn't be exposed to such risks, enough is enough. The only good thing about this fire in Bolton, especially from a personal perspective as I know very well people who are directly affected by the fire (and as soon as I found out, I contacted them as soon as I could to make sure they were out ok), is that everyone was safely evacuated and safely accounted for

[@litchielodge]

I have been working in the fire industry for years and every day is a battle to get people to comply with the fire regulations. University accommodation are some of the worst for putting costs before human life’s. They don’t get repairs done and even remove equipment rather then replacing it. Their response is “ the students will only break it again....!”. It’s only a matter of time until we get loss of life’s. Thankfully every one got out safely this time.

[@soph66661]

Hats off to all rescuers n wish them well n safe place to live n continue their studies .... love to all survivors ❤️

[@gazjee7301]

The government really do need to acted on this and as a Bolton private tenant it concerns me and I’m deeply saddened for the students/accommodation and hope they be okay and get Financial support. It is was sad day in Bolton and now maybe government body’s will now act on this now very important and sensitive issue and new policies be in place for high rises apartment buildings.

[@volvofreak86]

What's with all this cladding anyway? Why not just settle for regular bricks and some paint to spicen it ut instead?

[@MrDeadhead1952]

The cladding is designed to insulate the building and reduce energy use for heating. Building can be safely clad using non-flammable rock wool. The issue is the use of cheaper flammable plastic cladding.

[@hybridmongrel]

So Andy, student volunteers have to fill the chasm of failure of public, including your but mainly Tory, response to Grenfell?!

[@mickeymunkchunk4512]

Dont trust your local housing servey, they are lying to you about the cladding.

[@samhayman4509]

It’s almost 4 years since this fire happened and it’s scary to think how poorly organised the company who runs this block of student flats were. In the two years of living there and there was only ever one fire drill and that was because several students asked if we could have a fire drill. No one knew where to go as most of us had any fire safety instructions in our rooms/flats and those of us who did had outdated information on the backs of doors as the place we were meant to be going to no longer existed! This company constantly cut corners and neglected this building and people were forced to wait months without vital repairs. There were flats who had all their fire alarms removed as the fire alarms didn’t work and there were no replacements. There was water inside the ceiling lights in some flats before the fire and this wasn’t resolved. The company urban student life have blood on their hands for endangering over 200 students! There was no justice for us we were simply ignored and the university were the ones who helped us after the fire and it wasn’t until urban student life were shamed into it that they actually got temporary accommodation for us. Some of us lost everything and only had the clothes on our backs after the fire. For some of us we had everything in our rooms! Our lives got ruined by this company

[@laytonpro8655]

Student accommodation fire safety is a joke. I’m gonna tell you a story about my accommodations at the time this happened, I won’t name names cause I don’t want to get sued or something. Last academic year when I lived in student accommodation the fire alarm would go off constantly but we were told to stay inside unless we heard a different alarm. There was an intermittent alarm and a continuous one and if the alarm was intermittent we were told to stay inside cause it could be a “false alarm” I have been told my whole life if you hear the alarm to leave the building so this really bothered me. It got to the point where no one would leave if they heard it. One day a fire truck came to the building and the alarm was intermittent so no one left, when hardly anyone came out they were extremely pissed off, thinking we just didn’t care, the few of us who did leave got a lecture from them until we explained the situation. They were dumbfounded hearing we were instructed not to leave. Apparently the alarm system had broken and for all we knew “the false alarm” was a real fire. Ever since then when the alarm went off, I would make an excuse to leave whether it was going to the shops or a friends house I just didn’t feel safe in the building. On top of this, the fire Marshall’s were never there when we needed them. Apparently they are trained to evacuate the building, check the floors and turn off the alarm when the coast is clear. I never saw them once! They were older students who volunteered. Every time it went off the people on duty were always busy, one of them was at the gym one time. Another time the fire brigade came I had left to do some shopping when the alarm went off. When I came back they were there and I asked if it was safe to go in. They said it was but didn’t know how to turn the alarm off and I had to explain to them that we were never told who was on duty or how to get in contact with them. It was really frustrating for both of us, it wastes their time when they could be on another call. When this fire happened, the accommodation had the cheek to send out an email to say we were safe and I couldn’t stay quite, I emailed them back calling them out for their bullshit and they just brushed it off. I will never go back to student accommodation again cause they don’t care about the people living in those flats.

[@GlobalOffense]

Another horrible fire because of cladding in Britten. It’s disgusting.

[@dgh469]

how stupid are they ?... they should have detectors/alarms in every room in every house, or apt ...ffs

[@MrDeadhead1952]

Doesn't help people evacuate from floors not currently affected but at risk if the fire spreads as it did here and in Grenfall.

[@MetricImperialist]

@@MrDeadhead1952 You clearly know nothing about building fire alarms. When those little switches are pulled, it sets off the alarm in every room in the building.

[@MrDeadhead1952]

@@MetricImperialist Depends on what type of system installed some divide the building into zones with alarms only sounding in the zone that the alarm was activated in, but in this case that's beside the point as if you had been keeping up with the reports on this fire you would have known that there is a history of the alarms going off regularly without fires being found leading tenants to ignore them. But real point here is the installation of flammable cladding which caused the fast spread of the fire.

[@debbievidal9536]

Frightening. However on a different note, the mayor of Manchester......what a sensible man. He spoke with complete frankness, maybe he should be PM.

[@paulburns1333]

He's an idiot

[@nord1486]

Great start to university life...not

[@outsidersongs2682]

This cladding was tested and declared safe after Grenfell. Which is terrifying. Such fires are going to happen again, next time could be another tragedy. These were kids: usually only 1st years live in university accomodation and these had only just left home for the first time. Thank God they were all safe. Next time, who knows, because until all cladding in the UK is banned and removed, there is always going to be another fire. If this cladding tested safe, all cladding has to go.

[@MetricImperialist]

The cladding was not the source of the fire at Grenfell. If the building had a functioning sprinkler system the fire would've never reached the cladding in the first place. The carpet in that guy's flat helped spread the fire to the cladding, should we start banning carpet too??? The reason why constructing anything in the UK is so needlessly difficult and expensive is because people like you who can't think logically.

[@outsidersongs2682]

@@MetricImperialist nobody has thought or even suggested that the fires started in the cladding. I have no idea why you think that. In these fires (check Dubai too) fires start in the usual ways that fires start: electrical errors, accidents in residences. The fires then SPREAD to the cladding. Once the cladding ignites, the exterior of the clad building goes up like a torch, in seconds sometimes. Before Bolton the hope was that only certain rogue cladding could ignite in this way in response to adjacent fire. Safety testing must be inaccurate. Have a read on Dubai cladding fires and remember that in none of the fires does the fire start in the cladding. Fires in the buildings eventually ignite the cladding. In tower blocks, and skyscrapers, design is for concrete fire zones. This design means that if a fire starts in a flat, or in an office, or any room, the fire is contained in one concrete zone, giving occupants in other zones of the building time to be evacuated. Mostly this has worked very well though poor building standards have led to larger fires. But that's unusual. Cladding seems to prevent that mechanism of fire isolation. A flat or office has a fire, and instead of the fire being contained in that flat or office, it ignites the cladding and the fire spreads fast through many flats or offices.

[@Wienerblutable]

I may be stupid, but I would cut out a small part of it and set it on fire in laboratory, and look at the results to see if it’s dangerous?

[@MrDeadhead1952]

You need to test the entire 'system' not just the insulation. Investigation at Grenfall have shown that it's a combination of the flammability of the insulation and how its fitted. At Grenfall the panels had a space behind them which should have had breaks between them to prevent fire travelling up the 'chimney' which was created. The breaks where fitted badly so the fire was able spread feed by the flammable insulation.

[@Wienerblutable]

Trevor McKenna-Williams thank u, now I know a little more.

[@MEANASSJAMSTER]

but what CAUSED it? ...another dodgy fridge? - a dodgy laptop or smartfone battery? ...or just a dropped spliff?

[@TorsaJxmo]

I live there, the people from the flat it began in are saying it was an electrical fault inside the wall that spread rapidly

[@MrDeadhead1952]

It doesn't matter what the cause was as that has no bearing on how it spread.