London fire

Boss 302 said:
No, they can't. I wonder what caused the fire?
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From what I've read it sounds like a faulty fridge exploded that started it. Also, the building had some type of cladding on the outside that helped the fire spread very quickly to the rest of the building.

One article I read said they didn't have a working fire alarm and no sprinklers.
 
cptlo306 said:
From what I've read it sounds like a faulty fridge exploded that started it. Also, the building had some type of cladding on the outside that helped the fire spread very quickly to the rest of the building.

One article I read said they didn't have a working fire alarm and no sprinklers.
Click to expand...
You would think in this day and age, all large buildings like that would have fire alarms and sprinkler systems.
 
cptlo306 said:
From what I've read it sounds like a faulty fridge exploded that started it. Also, the building had some type of cladding on the outside that helped the fire spread very quickly to the rest of the building.

One article I read said they didn't have a working fire alarm and no sprinklers.
Click to expand...
They have long used hydrocarbons (propane, etc) as a refrigerant over there. They make excellent refrigerants, but yeah, the stuff is flammable. I wonder if that was a factor?

Of interest...our government recently approved propane as a refrigerant in small systems here. This might get interesting.
 
Very tragic. The 1970's property recently underwent an extensive remodel that would have required an upgrade to sprinklers here.

The cladding is metal wrapped foam. When properly manufactured and installed, it should be fine. However, inadequate field cuts and fitment could both expose the flammable core and create a chimney effect behind the facade. We always chose to not combine increased insulation with a metal facade, instead choosing to install EIFS to code behind a cement coating and then formed metal cladding for looks. We did a lot of Mitsubishi stores this way.
 
The building I'm in now was built in 1968. I have no idea if it had sprinklers when originally built or when it was converted to condos but it has them now. We've had 2 fire alarms since I moved in and both times I've been slow to get out and even debated ignoring the alarm (yes, stupid). Not anymore...the chance of a fire like that is remote but no reason to take any increased chances.
 
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