Fire safety is under scrutiny at high-rise flats in Bradford in the aftermath of a blaze which claimed the lives of six people at a tower block in London.
Social housing associations are working with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority to investigate the safety of the district’s 145 tower blocks.
A third of these buildings have been audited and eight are the subject of plans to introduce improvements.
A protocol, which details how partners will work to improve fire safety of social housing, will be signed by the fire authority and housing groups.
Three children and three adults died in a fire that raged vertically through seven floors of Lakanal House in Camberwell, London, last July. Fifteen residents and one firefighter were injured. The circumstances surrounding the fire, which was caused by a faulty television on the fifth floor, has been requested by the Government and it is being investigated by the Police.
Since the fire, the design of flats have been questioned, particularly the suitability of single, central staircases for evacuation.
It is understood that the tower block met all fire safety requirements when it was built, but concerns persist over the rapid spread of flames between floors.
Fire officers have carried out their own inspections of high-rise flats in West Yorkshire and found some had very poor fire protection.
According to a report to the fire authority, the worst example found so far was Dodge Holme Court, a 15-storey block in Mixenden, Halifax. Its owners were served with a Prohibition Order and its residents moved out until improvement work is completed.
Incommunities, the biggest social housing group in Bradford, owns 93 blocks of flats of at least four storeys. Its spokesman said: “We have always worked closely with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Bradford Council to ensure fire safety and continue to do so.”
The review will be discussed at a meeting of fire authority on Friday.
Authority member, Councillor Naveeda Ikram, who is also the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford, said: “This review is very important. There have been small incidents in Bradford. I think this process is going to help the owners of these buildings and make residents feel safer.”
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