LONDON // Tower blocks housing thousands of people across England are being urgently tested to check if their cladding poses a serious fire risk following the Grenfell Tower disaster, as the government on Thursday blamed decades of neglect.
Prime minister Theresa May said the government had arranged to test cladding on “all relevant tower blocks” following the deadly June 14 inferno, with at least seven public housing blocks already found to be covered in combustible material.
English local authorities estimate that 600 high-rise buildings have cladding, and the race is on to establish which ones are covered in the same material that enclosed Grenfell Tower in west London.
The figure does not include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have autonomous powers in housing.
The panels have been widely blamed for the rapid spread of the fire which consumed the 24-storey public housing block, leaving 79 people presumed dead.
They may also have produced toxic gases when burning and at least three people injured in the disaster were given an anti-cyanide antidote as a precaution.
Camden Council in London on Thursday said it will remove cladding from five tower blocks over fire concerns, raising questions about the status of the thousands currently living in cladded tower blocks.
“Many others living in tall residential buildings will have concerns about their safety after what happened at Grenfell,” Mrs May said in a statement to parliament.
“We cannot and will not ask people to live in unsafe homes.”
The full terror awaiting firefighters at Grenfell was laid bare on Thursday by footage filmed inside a fire engine as it approached the tower.
Seeing the entire building ablaze, the stunned firemen asked how such an inferno could happen.
They could be heard saying: “That is not a real block with people in it? How are we going get in that?
“That’s a whole tower block on fire ... Oh my God. There’s kids in there. How is that even possible?”
Downing Street declined to specify whether the cladding on the tower block was combustible or not, citing an ongoing investigation.
More than 100 buildings a day can be tested and Mrs May urged landlords to send samples for rapid assessment.
She said landlords were expected to provide people with alternative accommodation if buildings were found to be unsafe.
King’s College Hospital in London said three of its patients from the disaster were given the hydrogen cyanide poisoning antidote Cyanokit as a precaution.
Manufacturer Celotex stated that the insulation in the cladding would have released “toxic gases” if it caught fire.
The National Health Service said 10 patients were still being treated in hospital, five of whom were in a critical condition.
The cladding was installed for beautification and insulation despite warnings from local residents about fire safety as part of a major refurbishment of Grenfell Tower that was completed last year.
Mrs May said there were now around 600 people working by the site to provide support to victims and so far there had been 500 visits to the centre.
Each family whose home was destroyed was receiving a £5,000 (5,700-euro, $6,300) downpayment.
The tower itself contained 120 flats. Mrs May said 151 homes had been destroyed and that their occupants were guaranteed new homes on the same terms, within three weeks and as close to home as possible.
“Nobody is being forced to move somewhere they don’t want to go,” she insisted.
* Agence France-Presse
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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SPECS
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RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
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Company%20Profile
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'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
SPECS
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The%20specs
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.