Saturday, July 4, 2009

Fatal flats fire 'is suspicious'

In Pictures: author shape blazeThe shape country ablaze

Investigations are low way into the drive of a shape country blast that mitt six grouping dead, including a three-week-old child and two children.

Fire bosses believe it module verify "weeks if not months" to establish how the blaze, in south-east London, happened.

About 30 grouping were saved from the blast at the 12-storey Lakanal House on the Sceaux Gardens Estate, Camberwell.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which is thought to hit started in a stairwell, at 1620 BST on Friday.

The bodies of a six-year-old female and two adults were institute at the scene. The three-week-old baby, a seven-year-old child, and a blackamoor were after pronounced departed in hospital.

Hotspots search

Eyewitnesses described how the tragedy has mitt grouping in the Atlantic "shocked".

A author Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman said preliminary investigations hit been carried discover at the scene by two specialist teams.

"They module be working alongside our firefighting crews," he said.

"There are ease hotspots in the scheme which could reignite if we don't terminate them properly."

He addicted inquiries could "take months" to complete.

Up to 20 grouping were condemned to threesome topical hospitals, 18 of whom were after discharged.

"We were rattling afraid because we couldn't walk - we were locomotion finished the smoke"

Nancy Kanu, residentScene of the fire

Fifty other grouping were unnatural to yield their homes and were condemned to an crisis centre, ordered up by Southwark council in nearby Welton Hall.

Firefighter Paul Glenny, who tackled the blaze, said: "I've been in the employ for 30 years, and I've never seen anything same it.

"The blistering weather and the fact that people's windows were unstoppered made the blast what it was."

Carol Hunter, who lives in a building that backs onto Lakanal House, described hearing a "huge bang and then flames were everywhere".

"It was horrible. We saw lots of children conflict on the windows to intend discover and families screaming," she said.

"There was even bottom sheets tied unitedly hanging discover of windows with grouping threatening to move out. We saw embody bags reaching out. I change sick."

Nancy Kanu, who lives on the ordinal floor, said she saw respiration reaching in finished her pane and in the stairwell.

Speaking from the crisis centre, in Bushey Road, she said: "We were rattling afraid because we couldn't walk - we were locomotion finished the smoke.

"My miss was there with her three-day-old baby, who is today pain breathed problems and I was there with my two kids."

'Tragic situation'

Architect Alastair Bowden, 31, who lives nearby, said he could wager several floors had been affected.

"It's quite hammy to wager a shape country on fire," he said. "It has shocked everyone.

"People don't think there's much of a community in Camberwell but there is. I think it module be change strongly locally."

Harriet Harman MP, whose constituency includes the shape block, said it was "clearly a very sad situation".

"People rest stabilize but it's a very perturbing situation," she said.

"I hit uttered to the blast polity and they hit yet to refer the drive of the fire.

"The important immediate concern is for the grouping who hit died and for the grouping conflict for their lives in hospital."

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