Dagenham fire: Residents flee tower block inferno with ’Grenfell-style’ cladding
A planning application from 2023 shows the building in Dagenham, East London, was covered in “non-compliant” cladding and campaigners have demanded to know how such a fire could happen more than seven years Grenfell
Terrified residents last night told how they fled a towering inferno in a high-rise block of flats.
No-one died in the blaze but there were chilling echoes of the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy. A planning application from 2023 shows the building in Dagenham, East London, was covered in “non-compliant” cladding. Grenfell campaigners demanded to know how such a fire could happen more than seven years after 72 people died in the West London block blaze.
Karthick Kannaiah, said he and his wife, Meghana, rushed out of their flat with their six-month-old baby and pal Dinesh Raj’s daughter. Mr Kannaiah was sleeping when his wife woke him saying that there was a fire on the scaffolding outside their building. He said: “We opened our doors and saw our neighbours rushing towards the stairs. It was the most terrifying experience... like a do or die situation.”
Dinesh Raj said his six-year-old daughter was with his friend’s family when the fire started spreading
The family, who live on the second floor, escaped safely and are now staying with a friend who lives nearby. Mr Raj said his six-year-old daughter was with his friend’s family when the fire started spreading. Mr Raj’s daughter and his friends, made it out of the building safely. Pregnant Forida Khatun escaped from her flat on the sixth floor after seeing the fire from her window. She described people “running down the stairs, adding: “The smoke was getting heavier and everyone was coughing coming down.”
Sam Ogbeide, who lives on the fourth floor, said: “I opened my main door, smoke was coming in from the window. Very terrible.” Mr Ogbeide said it was very busy in the building’s stairwell with fellow residents who “didn’t bring anything” when evacuating, with some still “naked”. He said: “I’ve never experienced something like this in my life. Everything is gone. I don’t know what to do. I’m not feeling OK. All my mouth is bitter because I feel the smoke in me. When I cough, you see the black.”
London Fire Brigade Assistant Fire Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne said crews were called out at 2.44am and that more than 80 people were evacuated after a significant search and rescue operation”.
Over 200 firefighters with 40 fire appliances spent the night tackling the blaze ( Image: REX/Shutterstock)
He said of 20 people rescued some were given fire escape hoods, which provide 15 minutes of clean air while the person is moved to safety. Four people were treated at the scene by the ambulance service, with two of them taken to hospital. He said he did not want to “preempt an investigation” which will be “very complex”. He said examining cladding will form part of the probe in the coming days. Commissioner Andy Roe said: “The building has a number of fire safety issues known to London Fire Brigade.”
Campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal said it is “very concerning” that the building had known fire safety issues. “Seven years after Grenfell, there are still many thousands of buildings across the country with life-critical safety defects,” they said. Grenfell United, the group of “survivor and bereaved families” of the 2017 tragedy, said: “We hope all residents are safe and adequately cared for by the authorities.”
A major incident was declared after the first broke out ( Image: UKNIP)
Yvette Williams, lead campaigner of Justice 4 Grenfell, said: “Everybody should be outraged something like this has happened again seven years after Grenfell.” The Daily Mirror has contacted both the block’s management and the freeholder for comment.
Assistant Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade Patrick Goulbourne (right) spoke to press on Sunday ( Image: PA)
It comes as the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is due out next week. There were no reported injuries during another fire in a 45-storey block in Blackwall, East London. The LFB said it was first called to the incident at 1.28pm yesterday and that crews had the fire under control by 2.50pm.
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