After the fire started at the Dagenham building early on Monday morning, over 80 people were evacuated and two were transported to the hospital.
Earlier this week, a mother-of-two informed News that the escape was closed. Video from inside the building shows the fire burning while someone yells, “Open the f*g gate.”
A resident representative stated, “They were fully aware of the fire safety issues: how the building’s fire alarm system failed to go off, denying us the critical warning we needed.
The fire escape route, which ought to have been our lifeline, was locked and barred. The numerous levels of management, ranging from agencies to landlords, completely failed to provide us with protection.
The residents assert that the process of demolishing the cladding on their building has been postponed and that they had voiced concerns over the fire safety precautions in place.
“Burning cladding falling from the building” was what firefighters observed, according to Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack.
