Harrow Court fire

Harrow Court fire
The East face of the building, seen from Fairlands Way
Date 2 February 2005 (2005-02-02)
Time 03:00 GMT (emergency services received first call)
Location Harrow Court, Silam Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
Coordinates 51°54′18″N 0°11′51″W / 51.904955°N 0.197608°W / 51.904955; -0.197608
Cause Abnormal Rapid Fire Development caused by accidental ignition
Deaths 3
Non-fatal injuries 7

The Harrow Court fire occurred in a tower block on 2 February 2005 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. Three people were killed, two of them firefighters, when a fire developed and spread from the 14th floor.[1] An investigation of the fire found that there was an Abnormal Rapid Fire Development, caused by a candle melting the surface of a television, which then spread rapidly up the outside of the building to subsequent floors.[2]

In honour of the two firefighters who lost their lives, Stevenage Borough Council named two adjoining roads in nearby new development Miller Way and Wornham Avenue, in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Background

Harrow Court is a 17-storey concrete tower block located in the Bedwell area of Stevenage, close to the town centre. The building dates from the mid-1960s. It consists of six flats on each floor - four with two bedrooms and two with one.

Fire

Harrow Court
General information
Town or city Stevenage
Country United Kingdom
Construction started 1966
Estimated completion 1967
Owner Stevenage Borough Council
Landlord Stevenage Borough Council
Height 51.80 metres (169 ft 11 in)
Technical details
Floor count 17
Design and construction
Main contractor Gilbert Ash

In the early hours of 2 February 2005, a lit tealight candle melted through the television on which it was sitting. One of the two occupants, who were asleep at the time, woke up and attempted to put the fire out. The other occupant of the flat, Natalie Close[3], remained asleep and died in the bed. Two of the firefighters who attended from the nearby fire station were killed.[4]

A resident on the 15th floor, the floor above the origin of the fire told reporters that firefighters had told them to 'stay put' but then chose to escape:"A fireman told us to stay in the flat. We went back inside but no one came to us. We got out after an hour. It was sheer panic. It was smoky, we could not see anything, and the stairs were slippery. We are lucky to be alive."[4] Seven people were treated in hospital with burns and smoke inhalation; one was in a critical condition.

Investigations

An investigation into the fire found that there was no dry riser outlet on the 14th floor of the building as they were only located on alternate floors. The firefighters connected to the dry riser on the 13th floor, but then to fight the location of the fire, the hose had to pass through firedoors, which were then kept open. This led to the fire to have more oxygen due to the fact that compartmentation was not achieved. The two firefighters died when they got tangled in cable trays which were attached to the ceiling with plastic hooks which melted.[5]

The melting of plastic hooks was also listed as the cause for the death of two other firefighters in the Shirley Towers fire in Southampton five years later.[6] It was after these subsequent deaths that changes to Building Regulations was imposed, namely to BS 7671, which covers electrical installations in the UK, and apply to the use of fire resistant cables in escape routes fixed to walls and ceilings, which came into force in July 2015. The regulation was not a retrospective one, meaning that it will only be enforceable on all new builds and not refurbishments.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Errors revealed in fire report". BBC News. 18 May 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "A Report on Strategic & Tactical Response Issues and the Rapid Fire Development During the Early Stages of the Fire" (PDF). Fire Brigades Union. 9 July 2005. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "Errors revealed in fire report". BBC News. 2 May 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Two firefighters die in tower block blaze". The Guardian. 3 February 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Executive H&S Summary at 85 Harrow Court". Fire Brigades Union. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Shirley Towers: Firefighter deaths lead to wiring safety change". BBC News. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
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